THE GUARDIAN’S SPECIAL FOCUS ON 50 VALUE-DRIVEN CEOS OF EXCELLENCE THAT POWERED NIGERIA’S ECONOMIC GROWTH IN 2022: Part One

WISDOM KWATI: Creating Value Through The ‘ Africa Housing-For-All Project’

He is young entrepreneur with uncommon drive for excellence whose increasing contribution in the Nigerian real estate sector cannot be ignored. Wisdom Kwati Edmond, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Wisdom Kwati Smart City Limited, Karabow Group, Wisdom Kwati Foundation as well as other successful and well known companies, is a trained software developer whose leadership skills and real estate development knowledge have opened doors of opportunities for many Nigerian professionals.

Challenge driven and focused, he has developed an outstanding global network of influential commercial, business, corporate, professional and political networks over the years.  He also worked in the lucrative commodities and petroleum markets of West Africa and the burgeoning precious metals market of Africa.

With an exceptionally strong clientele ranging from Europe to Asia and Africa and attracts funding streams of European, American, Chinese, and Arabian origin for most of his projects. As a young man, Wisdom founded the Wisdom Kwati Smart City –Africa’s first Smart City, currently running a project tagged “Africa Housing for All”. He also runs the Wisdom Kwati Children Village – a non-profit children village catering for orphans, Nigeria All. He is an experienced and gifted negotiator, readily approachable, with a very pragmatic manner in business, which is as appealing to the powerful and influential as to the regular entrepreneur. Through his no-nonsense and results-oriented approach, Wisdom Kwati has been demonstrating the capacity of maximising sales,  and it helped him to rapidly develop high volumes of businesses across a broad range of industries/sectors and commercial interests.

“My greatest desire is to provide value for as many people as I can as a result of my large heart for people. This is the reason I am currently spearheading the biggest, most accessible and affordable housing project in Africa, the Africa Housing For All project which is being executed via the medium of the Wisdom Kwati Smart City ,in tandem with other big and trusted partners all over the world”, he said.

Wisdom Kwati added that “In Africa, and especially Nigeria, living in a comfortable, clean and sustainable society seems relegated to a certain class of people who can afford it. This is one issue that Wisdom Kwati Smart City Limited along with its partners seek to solve and have come up with the ‘’Africa Housing for All Project’’ that would be providing housing for over a hundred thousand People, with an initial payment of one percent (1%) deposit and then a spread payment within the space of Ten (10) years. This spread payment helps reduce the financial weight and give families in Africa a chance to own a Smart Home and live the future they so desire.The average man can now be on his way to owning a standard and comfortable smart home with the Wisdom Kwati Smart City’s Africa Housing for All Project.”

Led by a team of industry experts, managers, investors and developers that are keen on disrupting the status quo of real estate in Africa, Wisdom Kwati Smart City Limited is dedicated to building sustainable cities by integrating smart technologies in its products, thereby providing its clients with luxurious yet tremendously affordable real estate solutions as well as investment opportunities and unmatched property management services. The Abuja based firm offers all-inclusive packages carefully tailored for all social classes across Africa.

Focused on building his professional reputation through value creation, he has received multiple awards, some of which are; Special Recognition Award (Kaduna Political Awards 2022), Blue Ribbon Award (Youths and Dreams Initiative), Most Respected CEO in Real Estate (Business Executives Nigeria), National Business Excellence Award as Icon of National Development (Transparency and Sensitization Support). 

Mary Ojulari, Managing Director/CEO, Westar Associates Limited

MARY ADERINOLA OJULARI: Experienced, Enterprising, Versatile Professional, Result-Oriented Financial Expert With A Marked Difference

Mary Ojulari, FCA, is the Managing Director at Weststar Associates Limited (Mercedes-Benz Nigeria) and serves as the President of the European Business Chamber Nigeria (EuroCham). Weststar is the sole Authorised General Distributor for MercedesBenz Passenger Cars’ and Commercial Vehicles in Nigeria, and coordinates Daimler AG’s business activities, which include aftersales services, marketing, fleet management support, warranties and professional training in Nigeria. 

As the EuroCham President, Mrs. Ojulari works with the directors of EuroCham to execute the association’s objectives and provide value to its 50 member companies. EuroCham is a business group which unites the main European investors and corporate organisations in Nigeria with the primary objectives of promoting trade, investment and exchange between European and Nigerian businesses. EuroCham advocates for the highest quality standards, sharing best practice, and a commitment to corporate social responsibility. 

Mary is a strategically focused and result oriented Business Executive with over 22 years of experience, 13 years of which were spent working in Europe, at some of the continent’s most prestigious companies. She has worked in a range of senior and director level roles in the automotive, hospitality, media, and service sectors. She has a reputation for strong communication and establishing robust working relationships with relevant stakeholders and parties. Her specialties are continuous improvement, leadership, strategy, networking, financial management, financial reporting, project management, and due diligence. 

She is an enterprising and versatile professional with broad experience in leading all aspects of finance. She started her career in Audit at KPMG UK, before moving to Bass Group PLC as a Management Accountant and, thereafter, Whitbread PLC UK as a Group Management Accountant. 

In 2006, Mary joined the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) as an Analyst, where she quickly made her mark. Her innovative and forward-thinking leadership was subsequently rewarded with a promotion to Business & Corporate Planning Manager in 2009. She relocated to Nigeria in 2012 after taking on the role of Chief Financial Officer for West Africa at CNBC & Forbes Africa. 

In 2014, she advanced to the position of Finance Director. In addition, she was responsible for the organisation’s Administration and Human Resources Division for the West African region for 5 years. In 2017, she joined Weststar Associated Limited, where she currently works. Mary is currently pursuing an Executive MBA at Warwick Business School and holds a degree in Accounting and Finance from London South Bank University, as well as being a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants since 2008. 

She also has several Human Resources Certifications from the Lagos Business School. She is a on the Board of Directors of CNBC and Forbes Africa (2017-date) and sits on the Advisory Board of Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Program, a programme initiated by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and United Nations Development Program UNDP which seeks to tackle youth unemployment in Nigeria (2021 – Till date).

Mary is an Angel investor, whose passion lies in motivating and mentoring young people towards making a difference to themselves and the communities they reside. She is married with two sons.

In her response to what shaped her career journey, she said “My desire for knowledge and continuous learning has been the foundation of my career success. My tenacity and dedication to both personal and professional advancement enabled a rapid advancement in my career. I’ve always made it a point to excel in life and I am always willing to put in the required work and hours to achieve my goals. Sometimes, a person’s successful career journey is simply a function of good old hard work. This is my story. Passion has served as fuel for my journey, but I make it a point of setting measurable targets and working hard to achieve them knowing that this is the best way to show that I am qualified to lead.”

Concerning the level of professionalism and astuteness involved in handling Weststar Associates’ business operations, she noted that “As one of the leading companies in the nation’s Auto Industries, Weststar Associates Limited has a team of highly trained individuals who maintain a high level of competence and expertise in their various departments; from the Sales and Aftersales departments to the support functions including the Legal and Compliance, Finance, Human Resources and Administration. My team and I have a thorough understanding of the automotive market, and we keep abreast of best practices and new advancements, which we incorporate into our daily routines. The Sales and Aftersales departments have experience in offering aftersales services and ensuring customer satisfaction. The Mercedes-Benz team continues to maintain the worldwide acceptable standards of the Mercedes-Benz brand while contributing to the communities around us.

In the face of constantly shifting policies meant to guide this sector, our unique ability to adapt and strike a balance between meeting our customers’ requirements by identifying and delivering the most suitable vehicles fit for purpose, at reasonable prices and support services (from the Service and Parts departments), has allowed us to stand apart from the other players in the sector.

Weststar Associates Limited, in the long term, seeks to provide local content and has invested over 30,000 acres of land to build an assembly plant. The intention is to provide more employment not only for our people but ensure they are well trained for the 21st Century, and beyond. We are however awaiting favourable policy intervention from the Automotive Council in order to commence operations. 

In the meantime, we are very committed to training and encouraging personal and career development. We have programs such as structured internships as well as “Train the Trainer”, which has empowered directly and indirectly at least 15,000 persons over the last 15 years.

Rajat Kapur, Chairman & Managing Director, Henkel Nigeria

Why Henkel develops innovative, sustainable Nigeria-centric brands, empowering local talents by Kapur 

Kapur has a double Masters in Business Administration and Economics. His professional career spans over a period of 24 years where he has held various management positions. Kapur joined Henkel in 2009 and progressed to Chairman and Managing Director of Henkel Nigeria in 2017. He was instrumental in the 2016 acquisition of Expand Global Industries Limited, which is the local Nigerian subsidiary of Henkel. 

Henkel is a century old German company that became a successful multinational present in more than 100 markets. From a family business founded in 1876 to 145 years of success, Henkel operates globally with a well-balanced and diversified portfolio. The company holds leading positions with its three business units Adhesive Technologies, Laundry & Home Care and Beauty Care.  

Building on its strong legacy of more than 145 years, Henkel is leading the way to reimagine and improve life every day. Today and for generations to come. Through the company’s innovative and sustainable brands and technologies, across its teams around the world. Henkel employs more than 52,000 people globally – a passionate and highly diverse team, united by a strong company culture, a common purpose to create sustainable value, and shared values.

The company’s purpose “Pioneers at heart for the good of generations” unites what its people stand for, how they work, and forms the basis for the company’s strategy. The pioneering spirit of the company founder, Fritz Henkel, is what continues to differentiate them and unite Henkel employees worldwide. The ambition and motivation to work together on the solutions of tomorrow. Today. Every day. It does this not only for itself, but also for future generations, because the company believes that we all share a common responsibility.

In Nigeria, under the strong leadership of Kapur, Henkel provides thousands of jobs across the country with an estimated contribution of around 5,000 direct and indirect jobs through an extensive local distributor network. The company generates direct employment for more than 1,000 people in the Ibadan plant. Henkel Nigeria’s brands include WAW and Nittol, both market leaders in their category. 

Kapur’s pioneering leadership has seen him be at the forefront of supporting government, industry and various communities. He aims to be a strong contributor to the Nigerian economy, with the ultimate ambition to produce for Nigerians by Nigerians. He believes in creating a workplace culture that is centred on diversity, equity, and inclusion, which he equates to the team’s ability to produce exceptional results. 

Kapur is also a leader when it comes to skills development both within his team and with future talents. He steers a 12-month internship programme with an intake of two batches of graduates per year. Kapur, along with his leadership team, identify specific business needs and work closely with pre-identified tertiary institutions to select only top talents who meet Henkel’s various role criteria. Potential candidates go through a rigorous recruitment process, which includes interviews with local Henkel ExCom members. Once successful, interns are provided with a structured programme including regular progress reviews and performance assessments. The internship provides a platform for these graduates to receive critical business experience, as well as an opportunity to work for Henkel as full-time employees, once their 12-month internship programme is completed. 

Beyond the company’s business disposition, Kapur places strong emphasis on creating long-term sustainable commitment to social involvement and empowering local talents. He was key to the implementation of the Street-Smart Entrepreneur programme, which is designed to take unemployed youths and provide them with the necessary skills to become self-sustaining entrepreneurs by leveraging Henkel’s products – while developing the economy and communities at large. The initiative was born as a need to contribute to human capital development through entrepreneurial skills training, and also job creation by empowering youths with the tools for business. The training includes classroom and field lessons in branding, bookkeeping, trading, and other skills necessary to make them self-reliant and successful in life.

Kapur was also the first to launch Researchers’ World on the African continent. Researchers’ World is an educational initiative designed by Henkel to introduce children into the fascinating world of science. Since its inauguration at Henkel’s Düsseldorf headquarters in April 2011, more than 62,000 children around the world have taken part in Henkel’s Forscherwelt programmes. Putting concept into practice is the heart of this initiative. The content is specifically tailored to children aged 8 to 10 and takes a holistic approach towards teaching and learning by putting children into the role and workplace of an actual researcher. Through specific learning objectives, children gain insight into the process of scientific inquiry. The classes in are based on research areas Henkel is active in, i.e. adhesives, laundry, home care, cosmetics, and sustainability. The latter looks into teaching children how to save energy, recycle paper, renew raw materials, general health – ultimately promoting sustainability.

The company is committed to leadership in sustainability. As a recognized leader in sustainability, Henkel holds top positions in many international indices and rankings. As leaders, the company aims to pioneer new solutions for sustainable development while continuing to shape its business responsibly and increasing its economic success. 

Furthermore, Henkel aims enhance its positive social impact on communities by mobilizing its more than 50,000 employees who have been trained as sustainability ambassadors. In Nigeria, Kapur promotes such initiatives through brand activations and partnerships. One such way is through the brand Nittol, where they have partnered with Miss Earth to promote the proper care of the environment. Through this partnership, the company is involved in initiatives such as tree planting and much needed community clean-ups. Kapur also works closely with the German Embassy in Nigeria to identify areas where together, they can work with other German companies to promote economic growth and sustainable activities for the better of the entire country. 

Such sustainable initiatives are not limited to outside Henkel but can also be found at the Henkel plant in Ibadan. With the guidance of Kapur, the Ibadan plant has reduced energy consumption in the last two years by consuming less energy while delivering the best quality products for its customers. The focus is on process improvements and adopting renewable energy options such solar lighting and energy-efficient devices whenever possible. Water usage has also reduced in the last two years, along with the implementation of pollution control devices and waste being managed by keeping in mind the 3R principle (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle). 

Kapur’s strong leadership and sustainability efforts can also be seen in the various awards the company has received from both industry, as well as consumers alike. Such awards include: the National Quality Excellence Award as the Best-in-Class Quality Cleaning Soaps Production Company of the Year; the Brand Innovator and Customer Value Award; the Peace Legend Award – as one of 100 Brands Transforming Africa; the West Africa Brands Excellence Awards 2022; the Best West African Premium Quality Multi-use Detergent 2022 Award; and the Brandcom Awards – Detergent of the Year 2020.

Henkel Nigeria is committed to developing sustainable and innovative Nigeria-centric brands and products that are backed by its global German product quality and reliability standards for the of satisfaction its consumers.  

Lai Labode, CEO, CashToken Africa

LAI LABODE: Uplifting Businesses, Enriching People with CashToken Rewards

 Lai Labode is the CEO of CashToken Rewards Africa, Africa’s first cash reward as a service company — CashToken Rewards Africa.

The Nigerian-based company is embracing the RewardTech concept through the reward and gamification of expenditure strategy to redistribute wealth, boost businesses and lift people out of poverty.

 To effectively achieve this, Labode disclosed that his team set up the “Socially Smart Business Model” to boost businesses  and lift individuals out of poverty.

Explaining the birth of CashToken, he said  “We discovered that for as long as people are making purchases, they expect to get good service and products and, of course, to be rewarded too. So, we looked for a type of reward system that will ultimately increase patronage, help businesses grow and pay taxes. This is what birthed Life Changing Cash Rewards.”

 “We became Africa’s first Universal Cash Reward as a service company. We created the Universal Reward wallet, meaning for consumers in Nigeria and across Africa to have cash reward wallet that will work for every business. We had to establish a product that would help us execute the cash reward as a service and this birthed “CashToken.” Our CashToken is unique and before one can get it, a business objective must have been met,” he said.

 Graduating from University of Abuja with a first degree in accounting and a diploma in Law, Labode moved on to Harvard Business School in Boston, USA, to further acquire knowledge in corporate restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, which prepared him for the job.

Disclosing how the company is expanding its frontiers, Labode disclosed that the market is huge, adding that his company is currently partnering Mastercard to establish a sub-Saharan Africa platform for all Master cards holders in the continent.

 Expanding the market, CashToken Rewards Africa has embarked on some pilot projects in Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia and will continue to grow across Africa.

According to the CEO: “When we talk about wealth redistribution in Africa, we are pulling people out of poverty because the impact is not based on charity, but on objective based impact on businesses.

“We have impacted over 500 businesses and that is just a start. Our model is the smartest capitalist way of redistributing wealth and in the next few years, we expect CashToken Rewards Africa as a RewardTech to surely be at the top and continue to make the most impact in society. We want to make sure no Nigerian will go to bed without hope. As long as you make a purchase, you will receive a CashToken.

The good news is that the CashToken Reward does not expire.”

 To achieve its goals CashToken Rewards has adopted three key elements — universal cash reward wallet; guaranteed instant cash; ticket into a weekly national consumer draw that allows you to win between N5K to N100m. This draw offers consumers a chance to win life changing cash aawhich is legendary because no company has ever offered this before across the continent.

Leaving Africa, Labode is expanding to Australia, the United States of America and the UK. He is already working to enlist his company on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and tell the world that Africa has some positive things to show.

For his dynamics in business, the CashToken Rewards Africa boss in 2021was honoured with the Consumer Empowerment CEO of the Year by the Nigeria Business Leadership Awards. Following this, the Southwest Advancement Award also recognised him with two other awards, the Entrepreneur of the Year and the Role Model of the Year.

Stanley Uzochukwu, Group Chief Executive Officer, Stanel Group

STANLEY UZOCHUKWU: Astute Entrepreneur Of International Repute, With Passion For People, Global Impact Initiatives

Born on 30th July, 1984 in Calabar, South-South, Nigeria, Dr Stanley Uzochukwu, Founder and Executive Chairman, Stanel Group, is a Nigerian-based business magnate, investor and people developer. He is an exemplary role model, international conference speaker and an astute entrepreneur who has gained international recognition for his passion for people and global impact initiatives. 

Recognised as one of Nigeria’s most enterprising individuals, who has provided jobs and training for over 7000 young people in Nigeria and beyond, Dr. Stanley Uzochukwu is a graduate of the University of Jos. He was awarded an honorary doctorate degree in Business, Arts and Technology by the Commonwealth University, United Kingdom in 2018, and has won several other prestigious awards, like the Forbes African Achievers Awards, for his relentless efforts towards youth empowerment, and job creation as a strategy for poverty alleviation in Nigeria. 

True to the common saying that ‘charity begins from home’, Dr Stanley Uzochukwu has made very significant investments in his home State, Anambra and he was honoured by the former Governor, His Excellency, Chief Willie Obiano, with the prestigious State Award of The Commander of Anambra (COA).

Amongst his very notable mega projects is the magnificent STANEL WORLD Awka in Anambra State Housing Scheme. The ambitious and incredible facility consists of an Ultra-Modern gas station with a fully automated calibrated metering system, a super luxury mart, a 5000-seat capacity event dome, an international restaurant brand Fastchow. Stanel group also boasts of the gigantic multi-billion dollar Anambra Industrial Layout in Ozubulu, which has the presence of over ten factories doing backward integrations and massive high end production of several products like Pet bottles, Nylons, Fruit Juices, to mention but a few. 

He is currently serving as the youngest member of the Governing Council of the prestigious Igbinedion University, Okada, Nigeria’s first Private University. He is also on the Board of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) Business School, as well as the Golden Tulip Hotel. 

Dr Stanley Uzochukwu was among the few Africans recently invited to speak at the 2022 Edition of the 500 CEO Summit in the United States of America, along with former Ghanaian President, John Dramani Mahama and Dr Cosmas Maduka, and sharing the same stage with the likes of former United States (USA) President, Donald J. Trump, Dr Ben Carson, former Vice President Mike Pence, amongst others. Dr Stanley’s exceptional performance at the 500 CEO Summit gained massive media attention as CBS – the second largest American TV station which singled him out for a live primetime interview session broadcast across USA. In recognition of his outstanding impact, He was also recently invited by the David Green Family to Washington, USA along with other world leaders. 

In no distant time, Dr. Uzochukwu is set to commission a 5-Star super luxury-styled hotel in Victoria Island Lagos called The Del, which is already reputed by many to be the “Harrods of Africa”. The Del is redefining the Hospitality Industry at a global scale and is estimated to create over 700 competitive job opportunities. #

For Dr Stanley Uzochukwu, love and compassion are part of his intricate nature. Every year, he hosts over 2000 widows and orphans across Nigeria as Stanel Group’s Corporate Social Responsibility. Through his multi-billion naira venture, he has given out houses, cars and empowered many less privileged and physically challenged in the society. He has rolled out various gift items including thousands of copies of the Holy Bible with well curated capacity development training sessions for widows, orphans and young business people. 

He is the convener of “Access More With Stanel” – an annual youth empowerment programme in partnership with Africa’s largest bank, Access Bank, which hosts over 3000 youths from across the country, yearly. Through “Access More With Stanel”, young entrepreneurs across Nigeria receive both mentorship and funding to scale their businesses. His passion for impact, job creation, and youth development, is second to none.

In recognition of his visionary, sterling and exemplary leadership, Dr. Stanley Uzochukwu has a long list of Awards and Honours, some of which include the “2017 Winner of Forbes African Achievers Award for Outstanding Contributions In Job Creation” based on his reach out to widows, orphans, Internally-Displaced Persons (IDPs); 2018 Honorary Doctorates in Business Administration from Commonwealth University, United Kingdom; 2021 Youngest Member of The Governing Council of Igbinedion University, Okada; 2022 Commander of Anambra State Award;  2022 The Sun Newspaper Investor of The Year Award.

Speaking on the passion that brought his career to life, the serial entrepreneur noted that “Three key things include passion for humanity, passion for what I do and investment in my God given potential. In my passion for humanity, I believe in love for the people we want to serve because business is all about service. The founder of the Temple University said “If anyone can love his neighbour as himself, he must be successful”. Not just to make money from people but to make a difference in people. 

In my passion for what I do, I have come to understand that everyone’s portion is in their passion. To walk away from your passion is to walk away from your possession. Finally, by choosing to invest in my God-given potential, which is about investing in what I am wired to do, I’m fulfilled. Once you locate your potential success is achieved.”

In terms of wealth creation and impacting the Nigeria’s economic growth positively, the value-driven business magnate said as one of the leading companies in the nation’s business sector, Stanel Group’s business operation is exemplary. In his words, “The key to life is to understand the basics. National challenges are simply a culmination of personal challenges. At Stanel Group, we focus on not just building businesses but building people. I firmly believe that people are the greatest asset of any entrepreneur and they can also be the greatest undoing on an entrepreneur or enterprise. We invest heavily on people development in the company and also have it enshrined in our corporate social responsibility to develop human capital at a national scale through our Access More with Stanel program in partnership with Access Bank PLC. We believe this mentality and accompanying action is what we need to reposition Nigeria sustainably on the part of wealth creation.” 

He added that “one key innovative approach Stanel Group has taken as a company over the years is to introduce complementary products and businesses that support each other in our value chain, thus becoming a one-stop-shop for customers with varying needs. For example, we have a gas station, a car care center, bakery, mart, event center, fast food brands, and many more. All these businesses are interconnected and help with customer retention. Another thing we have been able to do well is marketing with data. Data is the gold of the 21st Century. We value customer data and ensure we have them collected to boost the results of our marketing.” 

As a key stakeholder in Nigeria’s Energy Sector, the Stanel Group boss believed government needs to take urgent steps to address obvious challenges in the nation’s power industry in order to fast-track economic development and wealth creation for the country. He pointed out that to encourage the success of the local content policy, protect indigenous companies, as well as champion the ease of doing business in Nigeria, Government can make more business friendly policies that provide an enabling environment for businesses to thrive. 

In that regard, he stressed that “The Nigerian Start-Up Act is a notable progress to our ecosystem and I think it is very commendable. One thing the government can do is give more incentives like grants and soft loans to SMEs to enable them to scale profitably. I believe more award winning CEOs can emerge in Nigeria if more focus is placed on adding value to people. Value addition is the key to remaining relevant. Until you add value, you cannot get recognition.”

Umar Abdullahi, Founder & CEO, Cosgrove Investment Limited

UMAR ABDULLAHI: Setting Standards, Reshaping the Strategy In Africa’s Real Estate Design

The Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Cosgrove Africa, Mr. Umar Abdullahi comes with over two decades of varied experience and wealth of knowledge in Real Estate Development, Investment, and Financial Services. He has spearheaded the conceptualization, development, construction, and management of a myriad of housing estates and gated communities within and around Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

A real estate guru of international repute, Umar Abdullahi is especially adept at managing complex and intricate projects together with a wide range of diverse teams. He also brings extensive experience from his corporate banking background, as well as expertise in negotiations with a commitment to compliance with corporate governance and fiscal discipline. He is an astute leader whose primary vision is achieving Cosgrove’s strategic business goals and also improving the housing deficit in Nigeria. 

A graduate of Bayero University, Kano and an alumnus of Cranfield University, United Kingdom, and the Harvard Business School Executive Programmes, Abdullai’s variegated International Executive Leadership training programmes, along with his years of experience in both the real estate and financial sectors equip him for his role as an innovative leader to steer the company in achieving its long-term vision.

His company, Cosgrove Investment Limited with the slogan “Reshaping the Strategy In Africa’s Real Estate Design”, has established itself as a leading real estate company, setting a high standard for excellence, not only within the real estate industry, but across the corporate community. Despite the economic turmoil caused by inflation, the COVID-19 pandemic, and other government policies, the company has remained resilient and continues to provide top-quality real estate solutions to its clients.

The company’s success is attributed to several crucial factors, including its knowledgeable and experienced professionals who have, over the years, navigated the pandemic’s challenges. The company’s investment in talented and skilled personnel has resulted in a strong and dedicated workforce that provides exceptional services to clients. Furthermore, Cosgrove’s commitment to quality has never wavered, earning the trust of clients who have chosen the company over the years.

Cosgrove not only offers quality services but also contributes to the country’s GDP through employment generation and the utilization of domestic labour, which reaches up to an unprecedented level. The company is also at the forefront of innovation, investing heavily in smart home technology and research and development, positioning itself as an innovative leader in the real estate sector.

Cosgrove Investment Limited is a company that is dedicated to delivering top-notch real estate solutions while making a positive impact on the economy and the environment.

In recognition of his visionary and exemplary leadership in the Africa’s Housing Sector, the Cosgrove helmsman has received several Awards and honours in respect to his person and the corporate status of his company. These include: Achievers Good Governance Award and Leadership Recognition by the Northern Business Icon in Estate Development. (Man of The Year); Archibuilt Awards

Real Estate CEO Of The Year Award & Excellence in Smart Cities Development; the Smart City Awards – Best Residential Innovation & Real Estate Developer Of The Year Award; Award of Appreciation of Cosgrove’s Commendable Contribution Towards the Indian Women’s Association Abuja; Outstanding Brand in Real Estate, by Abuja Business & Excellence Awards.

Others are Tozali Magazine’s Real Estate Company of The Year; Abuja Beach Soccer Tournament’s Appreciation Award in Recognition of Support for Youths, Sports Development and Beach Soccer in Nigeria; The Top 10 Magazine’s Award of Recognition as One of Nigeria’s Top 10 CEO’s Of the Year; Nigerian Real Estate & Property Awards and Real Estate & Property Company of The Year; Recon- Real Estate Expo Awards presented to Cosgrove As Luxury Homes Developer of The Year; Abuja International Housing Show

Real Estate Company of the Year; Smart City Developer of the Year and Luxury Home Developer of the Year, by the Nigeria Housing Awards; AIHS Africa Housing Leadership Award, Real Estate Company of the Year and Best Exhibition Booth at the Africa International Housing Show; etc.