by Wilfred Okiche

 

As the annual #YNaijaPowerList enters its 4^th year, we bring you the most influential young Nigerians under 40 who are tackling the vast, exciting world of big business and making giant strides. From a flamboyant luxury retailer breaking boundaries in Her Majesty’s Britain, to a technology veteran mining gold via e-commerce. An unstoppable makeup pioneer, to the 39year old enjoying a listing as one of the continent’s wealthiest, these are the guys who make it happen.

Alexander Amosu

Alexander Amosu’s eponymous empire is one of the UK’s most prestigious luxury brands. From jewellery and accessories to bespoke suits, mobile phones and even mass media, Amosu’s midas touch has been everywhere. His Amosu Couture, a company that custom-designs and sells diamond-encrusted mobile phones, iPads, headphones and other accessories exists side by side with Kamson Luxury Group, a venture that helped establish the Nigerian franchise of OK! Magazine.

Amy Jadesimi

A recipient of the prestigious Desmond Tutu’s African Youth Leadership Award, Jadesimi qualified as a medical doctor from the Oxford University Medical School before diving neck deep into the oil and gas sector. She is presently the Managing Director of Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics Limited (LADOL), Nigeria’s first 100% indigenous logistics and fabrication base founded by her father. As a means of giving back, Jadesimi is a member of Venture Strategies for Heath and Development (VSHD), a non-profit that works with Nigerian doctors and birth attendants to reduce Nigeria’s high maternal mortality rate.

Bunmi Otegbade

Otegbade started his career as a senior management consultant at KPMG. He presently bridges the gap between grass root and big business through 2 entities; his not for profit, Generation enterprise as well as Strategy Q, a strategy advisory firm that helps larger organisations craft pro-poor policies to include the grassroots in business processes. Currently, through (Generation Enterprise) GEN’s training, investment and business support services, over 3,000 grassroots youth have been trained in entrepreneurship and business management.

Igho Sanomi

According to Ventures Africa magazine, 39 year old businessman Igho Sanomi is the richest young Nigerian alive. With a net worth of $1.3billion and suitable investments in oil and gas, telecommunications and real estate, there are few doors that remain locked to this Warri indigene. He superintends the Taleveras group, an energy, power, construction and trading conglomerate with an annual turnover of more than $3.5 billion. Taleveras owns stakes in some of the most profitable oil mines on Nigerian soil.

Michael Arumemi-Ikhide

In terms of market share and fleet size, Arik Air is the undisputable industry leader in West Africa. This is a long way from the fledging airline service company started in 2006 when Arumemi-Ikhide abandoned a highflying job at Exxon mobil to join the family business. Armed with a doctoral degree, Arumemi-Ikhide was promoted Group CEO in 2009 and has employed his considerable leadership and entrepreneurial abilities to take the company to stratospheric heights

Paul Orajiaka

37year old Paul Orajiaka is the founder of Auldon limited, a manufacturer of African-themed toys. Orajiaka overcame plenty odds to grow the company-started with 100USD- to a $10million worth behemoth whose products are in demand in Nigeria as well as across the pond. With mentions in publications like Forbes and UK’s Daily Mail, Auldon’s latest product launch, the Unity Girl Doll Project, a collection of 14-inch child developmental dolls that represent Nigeria’s three major tribes aims to deliver a social message to infants across the country by enlightening them about the Nigerian culture.

Simdul Shagaya

Black Friday shopping has never been the same, not since Shagaya’s Konga.com, an e-commerce juggernaut arrived with its price slashes and rock bottom clearance sales. Everyone and their mother counts down, patiently waiting for Konga.com’s Yakata sales to literally break the internet. Shagaya also owns Dealdey, the most popular online shopping website in Nigeria. Mixing technological knowledge with a strong entrepreneur drive, this Harvard MBA alumnus’ business rivals know better than to cross paths with him. He goes hard.

Tara Fela-Durotoye

There aren’t many businesses proudly reflecting the made in Nigeria spirit that Durotoye’s budding empire has come to represent. And there are fewer still that have impacted lives with the force and ferocity of the House of Tara. Nigeria’s biggest make-up brand with 14 branches in 8 states of the federation, directly employs about 80 staff members and has created a network of over 3,000 beauty representatives across the country. TFD convened the first Make Up in Nigeria conference in May 2014 and was recently the spotlight of CNN’s African Voices show.

Tayo Oviosu

Mr Oviosu garnered work experience from companies like Cisco and Travant Capital Partners, before launching Paga, a venture that has grown to become Nigeria’s biggest mobile money payments services company. Since inception in 2011, Paga has successfully scaled over 100million Naira in transaction volume and currently services about 18,000 clients. Paga has partnered with organizations like DStv and Dealdey for to achieve seamless transactions and has attracted funding capital from popular Skype and Baidu investor, Tim Draper.

Van Jones and Jehiel Olivier

These guys aren’t Nigerians but their decision to move to Nigeria to set up shop after winning a University of Chicago Booth New Venture Challenge grant of $30,000 for a startup, Hello Tractor, earns them a pass. Hello Tractor is a tech-start-up focused on agriculture machinery co-sharing that looks to increase the productivity and income potential of farmers in Nigeria and beyond. Hello Tractor is ground breaking in that the two-wheeled tractors are fitted with telematix and GPS in order to track the machines across the areas that it operates. Farmers can pay for the service via mobile money.