Like almost every single project at AFEX, the AFEX bar raiser program started up with the creation of a WhatsApp group. As Damilola, one of the committee members of the Bar Raiser Program and the Product Manager of the Exchange Crossing Network (ECN) describes;

“I woke up one morning and saw that Ayodeji, the CEO, had added me and four other Xperts along with some management staff to a WhatsApp group. He told us to carry out research on the Amazon Bar Raiser Program on the internet and devise a plan to implement something similar for AFEX”

For people who are not intrinsically Amazon fanboys or girls, the Amazon Bar Raiser is a program that enables Amazon staff in different roles, ranging from human resources to software developers and product managers, to serve as third-party advisers during an interview process, thus presenting an unbiased point of view while hiring. The goal is to ensure that this unbiased process can bring in new hires with skills and abilities that could surpass their counterparts in similar roles within the organization.

The AFEX Twist

The awesome Xperts who came together to structure the Bar Raiser Program went further than their initial research to create a program that could potentially prepare Nigerian graduates for careers in the fields of product management, economics, corporate finance, and strategy. So, on one hand, there was strategizing about the hiring process and how to conduct an unbiased assessment of candidate skills and knowledge, and on the other hand, there was deep consideration around what it would take to ensure that successful candidates could get ahead in the talent pool, gain exposure, and be empowered with the skills and resources needed to succeed in a professional environment.

“The AFEX Bar Raiser Program is essentially increasing the talent pipeline, not in terms of quantity but the quality of the people that join our organization on a yearly basis. The idea was to get a select group of young people who are passionate, energetic, and creative to join AFEX and contribute to our vision of building a sustainable, inclusive, and efficient market system for commodities in Africa,” said Michael, one of the Xperts behind the program and a Portfolio Manager at AFEX.

Making the Idea Tangible

In bringing the idea for the AFEX Bar Raiser Program to life, the team spent6-weeks brainstorming and designing tests for applicants to take. This was, of course, followed by the different rounds of applications and the final selection of successful candidates. On the 4th of April 2022, we welcomed our new intern Xperts and launched into a week-long orientation to incorporate them into the AFEX culture.

“We had to understand what the need was, what our realistic responsibility could be, and adapt the Amazon style. It was important to get the word out there about the graduate internship program and filter the applicants into the bucket of excellence” Damilola commented.

“This wasn’t a test you study for; it was something you are expected to know as a graduate. But we as Xperts had to take the test first too. We had over 600 applicants and for the first round, we selected 300 people based on their resumes and ability to qualify for these criteria. We started checking for bias in action, empathy, excellence, execution, and leadership, which are the attributes we prize quite highly in our organization.

We wanted impressionable and smart young professionals with a certain level of skill and competence, which they should have built before leaving school. The expectation is that after 6 months when they are settled into their roles, they would have the capabilities to move on to leadership roles and steadily climb the career ladder.” said Michael.

The Series

Today we have 14 graduate interns from the AFEX Bar Raiser Program, who are spread across our offices in Abuja, Lagos, and Ibadan. This story is the first of many to come, as we share their journey as AFEX graduate interns and learn what they’re looking forward to as they begin their career journey.

In the next story, you’ll be reading their personal stories and their internship experience so far. Stay tuned.