Profile of successful women in Nigeria real estate sector

Women in Nigeria real estate sector are beginning to pitch their tent towards becoming more successful than their male counterparts. Of a truth, the sector is wide and growing very fast. Yet, these set of women have shown true passion and diligence in what they do. They are the true definition of Successful women in West Africa we should celebrate.

In no particular order, this is Udo-Maryanne-Okonjo

She is the CEO of Fine and Country West Africa and loves to call herself an Ignited tycoon and accidental business person.

Udo graduated as the best student in her year at the Nigerian law school, bagged Masters degree in law and is currently very passionate about real estate as a means of wealth creation.

She took the South African Real estate exams and qualified for certification by the Estate Agency Affairs Board.

Fine and country has won several awards both home and abroad through years of experience and hard work.

Hajia Bola Shagaya

Hajia Bola Shagaya is the 10th wealthiest woman in Africa according to Forbes.

As a businesswoman, she is most notable for her interest in real estate.

She is the founder of Bolmus Group international – a diversified Nigerian conglomerate with interests in oil, real estate, banking, communications, and photography.

The real estate development arm of the group builds and owns dozens of luxurious residential properties in some of the nation’s highbrow areas.

In recognition of her leadership qualities and immense contribution to economic growth, she was twice awarded the National Productivity Order of Merit award and Member of the Order of the Niger (MON) by the president of the federal republic of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

Olajumoke Adenowo

CNN has described her as “Africa’s Starchitect”. She has been featured in the World’s foremost Architectural Journal; Architectural Record and has spoken on several platforms including the Global Women’s Forum and Harvard Business School (African Business Club).

Adenowo started studying Architecture from the age of 14 at the Obafemi Awolowo University, graduating with a Bsc (Hons) in Architecture and the coveted faculty prize in 1988.

She subsequently obtained the first distinction in the MSc. Architecture (an all ‘A ‘average) in the history of the University. She’s the founder of AD CONSULT. Olajumoke is the true definition of Beauty and Brains

Chukwunonso Onny-Ezeh

Ever stunning Chukwunonso Onny-Ezeh is the Chief Executive Officer of Assist -2-Sell Properties Limited.

She has over 11 years of active practice in real estate and presently, she is the most sought-after speaker on real estate issues. You really need to hear her speak. Her level of intelligence will blow you away.

Nonso, as she is fondly called, is the convener of a women programme called The Lady Realtor which is in conjunction with the US consulate.

Dim Blessing Ifeoma

Ifeoma is the CEO of Bidhomes. She is an enthusiastic realtor and a philanthropist who always have her client’s interest at heart.

She is known for her integrity and sincerity; one of the key and fundamental characters every realtor should possess.

Ifeoma Obianwu-Fafunwa

 

She is the founder and creative director of iOpenEye; a performance art production company in Nigeria. She has over 20 years of professional experience both in US and Nigeria managing teams of artists, contractors and skilled craftsmen on complex creative projects.

This beautiful and brilliant woman has carved a niche for herself in the industry Coaching, Directing, Branding, Television, African-American Markets, African and Emerging Markets, Architecture

Ada Osakwe

Ada Osakwe is a Nigerian economist, entrepreneur and corporate executive. She is the founder, managing director and chief executive officer of Agrolay Ventures, an agribusiness investment company based in Nigeria, which invests in agricultural start-ups and food-related companies on the African continent.

Osakwe was the Senior Investment Adviser to Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. Osakwe was born in Nigeria circa 1980

After her work with the Nigerian Ministry of Agriculture, Osakwe founded Agrolay Ventures. She also founded Nuli Juice, a restaurant chain in Nigeria. In 2017, she was appointed to the board of One Acre Fund, a Kenya-based. She was named Twenty Youngest Power Women In Africa 2014.

Funmi Alao  

Stunning and beautiful Funmi Alao is an alumnus of the University of Lagos and a trained medical doctor cum Realtor. She is the brain behind Dazen realtors.

Funmi is a proud wife and mother of two who has passion for selling lands. Her slogan is to make things happen

Ayodeji Finnih   

She is the Managing Director, KFAO Corporates Services, an anatomist turned real estate lover. She never practiced her original profession but helping a friend to acquire her first home. This was what ignited her passion to go into real estate a couple of years ago.

Ndidi Nwuneli

She is a Nigerian social entrepreneur and also the founder and managing partner of LEAP Africa; a leadership training and coaching organization which is committed to empowering, inspiring and equipping a new cadre of leaders in Africa.

Ndidi is the co-founder of AACE Food Processing & Distribution Ltd. (AACE Foods), an indigenous agro-processing company in Lagos, Nigeria and one of the directors of an agribusiness advisory and private equity firm in Nigeria, Sahel Capital Partners & Advisory Limited.

She has shaped agriculture through her work with Sahel and AACE.

Uche Majekodunmi

She is the CEO of Newton and David, a Nigerian-based event management company that creates mind-blowing designs and plans exquisite events.

She has carved a niche for herself, not only as a pioneer of the event and decor industry but also as a Florist extraordinaire. Uche has a way of connecting with her clients which makes her very unique in her field.

Mosun Ogunbanjo

She is the founder and CEO of MOE Identity Assets, Vice president of Redwire Group (an insight-driven marketing and brands consultancy) and also the Director of Wheatbaker.

MOE+ Art Architecture has over 20 years experience in strategic innovative design, identity assets, value-driven implementation, and delivery.

They are the brain behind GTBank’s architectural design and also civic projects such as Falomo ‘Under Bridge’ with the artist Polly Alakija.

Oluwatoyin Edun

She is the Group Managing Director of Fusion Group Limited.

Due to her initial goal to quit the banking industry at the age of forty, she took a bow from the industry in 2014 and ventured into real estate which has always been her passion.

Adefunke Adeyemi

She is a lawyer and an aviation expert who loves to travel and has high interest in real estate.

Adefunke worked in Virgin Atlantic before she joined the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and became the Regional head of Member and External relations. She also heads the Women in Leadership initiative of IATA in Africa and the Middle East.

Real estate became a source of income for her after using her proceeds in Virgin Atlantic to purchase a property.

Mrs. Aisha Ahmed

Mrs. Aisha Ahmed is the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on financial systems stability. Prior to her appointment on the 6th October 2017, she was the Head, Consumer and Privilege Banking at Diamond Bank.

Agnes Tokunbo Martins

She is the Deputy Director of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and represents them at the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC).

Dr. Hannatu Fika

She is the Executive Secretary of Federal Government Staff Housing Loans Board (FGSHLB).

She is the winner of lifetime achievement award at the 2017 National Housing Awards (NHA) for her participation in the development of housing in Nigeria.

Hannatu is always concerned about the issue of affordable housing especially provision of houses for Federal Public Servants and this passion has been her source of strength at the Staff Housing Loans Board.

Saadiya Aliu

She is the Chief Operation Officer (COO) of the real estate empire, Urban Shelter LTD.

Saadiya Aliu became passionate about poverty alleviation and developmental issues while working at the Debt management office, Nigeria.

Her ambition is to provide affordable housing, tackle housing deficit by giving room for flexible payment structure and innovative means of delivery.

Rear Admiral Itunu Hotonu

She is a trained architect and expert in naval logistics before becoming the first woman to attain the rank of a Rear Admiral in the history of the Nigerian Navy.

Before she joined the navy, she worked in a firm as an architect for two years before she took her professional exams.

Report shows that she was among the first set of architect to be enlisted as an instructor despite the fact that she was rejected by the Nigerian Army due to gender bias towards women in engineering corps.

Torkwase Iyortyer

She is the woman of many firsts.
She is the first female quantity surveyor in the northern region of Nigeria.

Iyortyer is a born leader and by virtue of that, she was the first female chairperson of a chapter in NIQS (FCT Chapter), the Pioneer and Founding Chairperson of the Women Association of Quantity Surveyors (WAQSN), the first woman to represent the Institute on the Council of the African Association of Quantity Surveyors, and first woman to be elected into the position of the Deputy President of the NIQS unopposed.

Mrs. Torkwase capped it all by becoming the first female president in the history of the institution.

Uzoamaka Oshogwe

She is the Managing Director of Afriland properties Plc this Wednesday.
She joined the company when it was still known as UBA properties.

She has contributed tremendously into the company and was awarded at the just concluded AFRECA’18 held at Landmark event center.

Rose Ada Okwechime

She is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Abbey Building Society PLC.

She has over 24 years of experience in the banking industry and has received at least 8 notable awards in recognition of her achievement and contribution to womanhood.

Arc. Erejuwa Gbadebo

She is a member of Royal Institute of British architects.

With over 30 years of experience in architecture, Gbadebo Erejuwa has interfaced with so many clients including Chapel Hill Denham, the River’s state government, Airtel, Maersk, the UK foreign office, the US consulate, and southern energy e.t.c.

Chinwe Ajene Sagna

She is the head of West Africa JLL based in Lagos. It is a global real estate firm which offers real estate services across West Africa.

She has over 14 years of experience and was previously head of the JLL French International Desk.

Chii Akporji

She is the Executive Director, Corporate Strategy & Planning, Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC).

Dr. Akporji once served as Senior Advisor/Chief of Staff to the former Nigerian Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy.

She is an accomplished development finance professional with a strong track record in managing complex national programmes to significant development impact.

Adenike Fasanya-Osilaja

She is a Mortgage Professional, Industry Trainer, Consultant, and Public Speaker.

She has worked as a real estate finance columnist with the National Mirror Nigeria Newspaper and also owned and operated Marvel Ventures Mortgage, Inc.

Mrs. Ini Onuk-Abimbola

She is the Lead Consultant/CEO of ThistlePraxis Consulting Limited (TPC). TPC is an Assessments and Strategy firm based in Lagos, Nigeria set up to facilitate the development of a more responsible business environment in Nigeria and Africa.

As Lead Consultant/CEO, Ini’s daily responsibilities include leading a Faculty of experts on increasing awareness of CSR as an element of business strategy, as well as encourage discussions of CSR and Sustainability across the African continent.

Ruth Obih-Obuah

She is a lawyer, real estate entrepreneur and the CEO of @3invest

She is also the convener of Real estate unite

Ms. Erelu Angela Adebayo

She is the chairman of Afriland properties.

She serves on the Boards of Dangote Foundation, Afriland Properties Plc., Meyer Paints Plc., Greenwich Trust Ltd., and Women at Risk Foundation.

Grace Ofure

She is an award-winning real estate portfolio consultant who manages real estate industry from Landowners to buyers and investors.

She is a great speaker who is passionate and enthusiastic about building young entrepreneurs in Nigeria.

Fifi Ekanem Ejindu

She is a Nigerian Architect, businesswoman, and philanthropist. .

Ejindu started her company, Starcrest Group of companies in 1995 when she returned to Nigeria. The company comprises Starcrest Investment Ltd., Starcrest Associates Ltd., and Starcrest Industries Ltd, all involved in real estate, oil and gas, and building construction.

Mrs. Vivian Mbagwu

She is a lawyer with wealth of experience in land and property.
Mrs. Vivian is one of the board members at CMB Building Maintenance Investment & Co. Ltd

 Mrs. Lizzy Shonekan

She is the Strategic human resource manager of Lashone links properties limited which she co-runs her husband, Dr. Lanre Shonekan.

Tosin Ajose

She is a lawyer who specializes in real sector advisory like construction; derivatives, commodities trade, capital markets, project/corporate finance, mortgages, securitization, and PPPs.

Miss Bimbo Alashe

She is the Managing Director of Leatherworld furniture company.
The company started as a small furniture shop in Lagos.

Currently, it has expanded and had earned Bimbo Alase a recognition as one of the most successful female entrepreneurs in Nigeria

Omonike Fowowe

She is the founder cum president of Express Multi-Concept Resources (EMR) Group Ltd.

She ventured into real estate when she observed the inability of the average Lagosian to afford luxury apartments.

In order to bridge this gap, she offered affordable apartments and office spaces for young entrepreneurs. She now has 9 buildings with a minimum of seven tenants in each of the building.

She is also into interior decorations.

The second arm of her real estate business is called Theos Luxury Apartments.

Yinka Ogunsulire

She is the MD of Orange Island development company.

Prior to her appointment in Orange Island, she served as the CEO of Heirs real estate and ARM properties (the real estate subsidiary of Assets and resource management limited).

She also worked with Capital Alliance Nigeria as a Vice President in charge of the real estate fund and managed the property portfolios of National Bank of Nigeria and UBA Trustees Limited.

Yinka is one of the leading property development professionals in Nigeria.

Tokunboh Ishmael

She is the co-Founder and Managing Director of Alitheia Identity, an investment management and advisory firm focused on channeling private equity investments into businesses and real estate assets to enhance access to finance, energy and housing for the excluded at the base of the economic pyramid.

Mrs. Aderonke Oyelami

She is the chairperson, Women Quantity Surveyors of Nigeria

Modupe Anjous

She is the CEO of Rydal Mews Limited and also the brain behind the promise to own initiative

Engr. Maduka Joanna

She was the first female Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (FNSE), the first female COREN registered Engineer and the First female Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Engineering.

She founded Friends of the Environment (FOTE) in 1993 with objectives in the areas of renewable energy, waste management and empowerment of women.

Maya Horgan Famodu

She is an ecosystem architect and founder of Ingressive; an investment group that backs Top African tech and leads investment tourism “Tour of Tech” to the continent.

She has brought different companies including 500 Start-ups to Nigeria to meet local tech ecosystem and invest in deals. Their last event convened over 150+ global investors and tech leaders, many of whom went on to invest in or officially advise companies they met that week in Lagos.

Engr. Ebele Okeke

She is the founder of the Association of Professional Women Engineers, (APWEN) Abuja Branch.

Mrs. Uduma-Olugu

She is a Landscape architect and interior designer, CEO of Designedscapes Limited and a lecturer at the University of Lagos.

Regina Olarewaju

She is the co-founder and managing director of Gidi Virtual Tours, an interactive media company that caters to industries like real estate, hospitality, education, travel, and tourism amongst others.

When she started the business, her initial focus was on Real estate and Hospitality. The company created the first virtual reality experience in West Africa at the 2015 Real Estate Unite Event organized by 3Invest.

So far, virtual tour has become one of the best things that happened to real estate.

Funke Opeke

She is a Nigerian electrical engineer, founder of Main Street Technologies and Chief Executive Officer of Main One Cable Company

Margaret Oguntala

She is a Chemical Engineer that has been practicing for over two decades now.

She is a fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (F .NSE ), Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers (F.NSChE), immediate past chairman of the Association of Professional Women Engineer in Nigeria (APWEN ), Ikeja Branch and now a National Exco member of NSE.

Arc. Abimbola Ajayi, FNIA

She is a passionate Design Architect with a penchant for detailed drawings, finishing, landscaping, and planning approval procedures.

She is a Member of Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA) and a fully registered Professional Architect with Architects Registration Council Of Nigeria (ARCON) in 1996.

She worked as a Partner in Alpha Architects in 1996-2004 and thereafter set up her own practice at ArchiWorks Associates in 2005 which she has run successfully till date.

She served selflessly as the first female General Secretary of Lagos State Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Architects and later as the first female Chairman of the same chapter

Flora Anne

She is a Presenter, Producer, and Broadcaster who hosts the popular Housing Development Programme on African Independent Television (AIT ) and on the Nigerian Television Authority(NTA channel 24).

Flora Anne is a successful media Practitioner who constantly advocates for the provision of affordable housing to Nigerians through her weekly TV Programme.

Salima Makama

She is the Managing Director of Shelterplus Nigeria Limited
Salima Makama is also the Executive Chair of Kade Processing and Export Company Ltd.

They are involved in processing and exporting of commodities including shea nuts and shea butter.

She was elected as President of the Executive Committee at Shea 2013: Global Perspectives in Abuja, Nigeria.

Engr. Becky Damilola Oke

She is the Managing Director at Bstan Construction Limited.

Becky is a certified member of COREN, Project Management Institute (PMI), quality assurance & quality control QA/QC as well as a member of Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE).

With over fourteen years of experience from working with different construction and real estate organisations, she has contributed largely to the excellent service that BSTAN Group provides.

She leverages on her passion to provide jobs for some of the numerous Nigerian graduates that are churned out each year. As a result, she currently has about 150 staff spread across BSTAN offices in Lagos and Port Harcourt, Abuja as well as some in Dubai.

Women in Nigeria real estate sector are making waves and it’s our duty to appreciate and celebrate them while we still can.

Please visit our Instagram page @naijarealestatehub to get their detailed profile.

Do you have the profile of any woman making waves in the real estate sector that is not on this list? Kindly mention them.

Written by Rianat Sanni