KwaraBuild | #KBTC25

I experienced this with someone I had been friends with for over 12 years. At some point, the friendship changed. He started questioning how I got the things I had, comparing himself to me, and eventually became openly hostile. It even got to a point where he became confrontational and claimed he was the reason I had achieved anything. I tried ignoring it, but the behaviour kept escalating. Eventually, I had to cut off contact completely to protect my peace. One thing I’ve learned is that history and years of friendship don’t justify tolerating hostility. When jealousy turns into intimidation, distance is not pride, it’s self-preservation.

In 2018, we ran our first Kwarabuild Tech Conference on a small budget and a big dream. Minutes before it began, we lost our venue. We found another hall, got more chairs, and 1,096 people still showed up. Years later, people who came to learn the basics are building products, leading teams and starting companies. One who attended that first conference now builds his own startups and hires talent from MALhub. That's what progress looks like: people growing to the point where they open doors for others. On 28 November, we open a new chapter: NEXT by Kwarabuild, Building Forward. 📍 Ilorin Innovation Hub | 📅 28 Nov 2026 Let's build forward. #NEXTbyKwarabuild #Kwarabuild

Eight years of Kwarabuild. Now, what's next? NEXT by Kwarabuild: a curated gathering of founders, investors and builders. 📍 Ilorin Innovation Hub 📅 28 Nov 2026 🎟 kwarabuild.org/next Partner, sponsor or showcase your startup: tally.so/r/1A1aJ4 #NEXTbyKwarabuild

Most people think of MALhub as a tech learning hub. That’s true… but it’s just one part of the story. The hard part is teaching digital skills. The real work is helping people build careers, find opportunities, start up and grow businesses. That's why we don't just do training programmes. We link talent to opportunity. We help founders build products. We link people to work together and grow. To me, that’s what an ecosystem is. We're building more than just tech talent. Building people, businesses and the future of our ecosystem. And we are just getting started.