Joycee Awosika is the founder and Managing Director of Oríkì Group, is an entrepreneur and energy economist building a globally competitive African wellness and beauty enterprise. Founded in 2015, Oríkì operates across wellness destinations, cosmetics manufacturing, technology, professional training, consumer products and social impact, with a presence in Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda and the United Arab Emirates.

Through this integrated ecosystem, Awosika is advancing African Beauty (A-Beauty), creating jobs, developing industry talent and expanding African wellness brands into international markets. She also founded SOAR, a leadership and business growth platform for entrepreneurs. Before transitioning into entrepreneurship, she served as a Technical Adviser to Nigeria’s Minister of Power, contributing to the country’s power sector privatisation reforms. In this interview, she speaks on her leadership and impact, committed to building sustainable African institutions through innovation, manufacturing and enterprise.

What does taking an African wellness brand to the global market require that many African entrepreneurs underestimate?

Many entrepreneurs underestimate how much structure it takes to make excellence repeatable across borders. A business may work beautifully when the founder is present every day, but entering another country tests whether that excellence lives in the organisation, in its people, processes and standards. At Oríkì, I often say that our SOPs are our pulse. We have had to document how we train, deliver treatments, manage products, respond to customers and resolve issues. The promise we make to a customer must be supported by a system that allows our teams to fulfil it consistently, wherever they are. You also need humility to understand each market. Africa itself is not one uniform market. Customer expectations, regulations, workplace cultures and commercial realities differ between countries. Going into the UAE adds another layer of learning. You have to understand what needs to adapt locally while protecting the essence of your brand. Another underestimated requirement is developing leaders you can trust with both responsibility and authority. You cannot be physically present everywhere. Expansion requires people who understand the vision, exercise sound judgement and uphold standards without waiting for the founder to make every decision. Our African identity is a strength. Our botanicals, knowledge and stories have value. The responsibility is to translate that value into products and experiences that earn trust through quality and consistency. My conviction is to build it so well at base that wherever it goes, the work speaks for itself. You can read more about Oríkì’s approach to quality and its ambition to compete internationally.

What do you believe the world still misunderstands or undervalues about African beauty, wellness and indigenous knowledge?

I believe the world still undervalues Africa’s role as a creator of beauty and wellness knowledge. There is often greater recognition of our ingredients than of the expertise, formulation, rituals and businesses that give those ingredients value. We should be recognised across that entire value chain. African beauty is also incredibly diverse. Our continent holds different botanical resources, traditions and approaches to caring for the skin, hair and body. A-Beauty creates an opportunity to bring that richness into global conversations while acknowledging where particular ingredients and practices come from. For me, indigenous knowledge deserves both respect and rigorous investigation. Knowledge passed down through generations can offer valuable starting points for research and product development. Our responsibility as manufacturers is to examine it carefully, establish safety and efficacy, and translate it into consistent, high-quality products. That strengthens its credibility and protects the people who use them. I also believe African wellness is too often presented through a narrow aesthetic lens. There is a deeper understanding of care, restoration and community that deserves attention alongside the products themselves. Through Oríkì, I want us to demonstrate that African businesses can own the formulation, manufacturing, brand and customer experience. The ambition is for African beauty and wellness expertise to help shape the global industry and for more of the value created from that expertise to remain with African businesses and communities. This is part of the wider conversation about the adoption of clean beauty brands and the place of African ingredients in the industry.

Why was building the infrastructure behind the industry as important to you as building the consumer-facing brand?

Because a brand’s promise is only as strong as its ability to deliver. Customers experience the treatment, the product and the service, but the quality of those experiences depends on what sits behind them: manufacturing, training, supply chains, technology and leadership.

As we grew Oríkì, it became clear that we needed to invest in those foundations to achieve the consistency we wanted. Manufacturing gives us greater oversight of product quality and development. Training helps us equip people to deliver our standards. Technology supports access, coordination and customer service. Together, these capabilities make growth more sustainable. It also mattered to me that what we built could serve others. Through FSC Manufacturing, other entrepreneurs can develop products without having to establish their own factories. Through our training institute, people can build practical skills and careers in wellness. The infrastructure creates value beyond our own locations. There is a responsibility that comes with this approach. Every part must have a clear purpose, capable leadership and commercial discipline. Vertical integration requires us to understand how each business strengthens the others while remaining accountable for its own performance. Ultimately, I want ORÍKÌ to contribute to an industry that can produce, train, innovate and compete at a higher level. Building the infrastructure gives that ambition substance and gives our consumer-facing promise something dependable to stand on. Its Wellness Entrepreneurship Hub is one example of the infrastructure being developed to support the wider sector.

You moved from energy economics and public-sector reform into entrepreneurship and wellness. Looking back, how has your earlier career shaped the way you build, lead and make decisions today?

My earlier career trained me to look beneath the surface of a business and understand how the whole system works. In energy economics, particularly in commodities pricing and trading, you learn to examine supply, demand, costs and risk. I bring that same discipline to Oríkì. When I consider an opportunity, I look at the customer need, the economics, the capacity required to deliver and the implications for the wider group. Working in public-sector reform also shaped my appreciation for implementation. A compelling strategy needs clear responsibilities, processes and accountability to translate into results. That has influenced how I build teams and why I place so much emphasis on structure. People need to understand what they own, what success looks like and how their work contributes to the larger vision. Those experiences taught me to think ambitiously while interrogating the assumptions behind an idea. I can be excited about a new location or product and still ask difficult questions about its viability. As a founder, you need both conviction and the willingness to respond to evidence. Wellness gave that analytical foundation a deeply human purpose. We are working with people’s wellbeing, confidence and livelihoods, so the numbers must be considered alongside the quality of care and the experience we create. I still think like an economist: I look for connections, constraints and opportunities. Today, I apply that thinking to building an institution that can deliver consistently, develop people and create lasting value.

You recently welcomed your third child, while simultaneously leading a rapidly expanding business. What has this new chapter of motherhood taught you about ambition, capacity and the pressure women often place on themselves to ‘have it all’?

Welcoming my third child, my first daughter, Zoë, has deepened my understanding that ambition and capacity need an honest conversation with each other. My vision remains expansive, and I am also learning to honour what this season requires of me physically, emotionally and as a mother. Motherhood makes the need for support very practical. There are moments when my baby needs me and the business needs a decision. That is where the strength of the team, the systems we have built and my willingness to delegate become essential. It has reinforced my belief that building a company includes developing people who can carry responsibility confidently. I think women often place enormous pressure on themselves to “have it all” and then interpret that as having to do it all personally, simultaneously and exceptionally. That is an exhausting standard. I am learning to give myself permission to make choices, receive help and recognise that my attention will shift from day to day. Some days require more of me at home; others require more of me in the business. This chapter has also given me a beautiful new rhythm. In the quiet hours around 4 a.m., while I pump milk for my daughter, I have my own quiet time and meditation and I have learned to make the most out of every moment.

I remain deeply ambitious. Motherhood continues to shape how I pursue that ambition with greater intention about my time, the support I need and the life I am building alongside the business.

How are you navigating the tension between being present for your children and being fully committed to building an institution that could outlive you?

I navigate it by being intentional about what truly requires my presence in both my family and my business. The tension is real, there are competing demands, difficult choices and moments when I have to reassess what I have committed to. For my children, presence means giving them my attention, knowing what is happening in their lives and being emotionally available. Being in the same room is only part of it. I want them to feel that they can reach me, that I am listening and that their lives matter deeply to me. In the business, my responsibility is to build the leadership and structure that allow Oríkì to thrive beyond my daily involvement. If every decision must come back to me, there is still work to do. Developing leaders, documenting standards and giving people the authority to act are essential to building an institution that could outlive me. They also create more room for me to be present at home. I am learning to be clearer about my priorities and more deliberate about my commitments. Support matters enormously, as does accepting that I cannot personally carry every responsibility. Ultimately, legacy includes both the institution I build and the relationships I nurture. I want my children to see the value of meaningful work, courage and service, and to grow up secure in my love. That conviction keeps me examining how I spend my time, because the people closest to me are part of the future I am building.

As a mother of three and a business leader, has your definition of success changed? What does a successful life look like to you now compared with when you founded Oríkì in 2015?

Yes, my definition of success has become broader and more considered. When I founded Oríkì in 2015, so much of my focus was on bringing the vision to life: creating excellent products and experiences, earning customers’ trust and building a business that could grow. Those things still matter deeply to me. Today, I also ask what that growth is producing in the business, in other people and in my own life. Are we developing leaders? Are we creating meaningful opportunities? Can the organisation sustain its standards beyond my direct involvement? And am I present for the people I love? As a mother of three, I am especially conscious that my children are growing while I am building. Their lives cannot be put on hold until the next business milestone. A successful life includes a close relationship with them, a marriage I continue to invest in, my health and a living relationship with God. My ambition has grown, but so has my understanding of stewardship. More locations and international recognition carry greater responsibility for the people and resources entrusted to me. In 2015, success was largely about establishing what I believed was possible. Today, it is about building something enduring and living well while I build it. I want Oríkì to thrive, I want others to grow through what we create, and I want my family to experience my love in tangible ways. All of that belongs in my definition of success.

What needs to change within Africa’s wellness industry for it to become a serious economic sector rather than being treated simply as a lifestyle or luxury market?

We need to recognise the full value chain behind wellness: agriculture, botanical sourcing, manufacturing, hospitality, professional services, training and technology. Each creates opportunities for employment and enterprise. That wider economic contribution deserves greater attention. One priority is professionalisation. We need clear competencies, credible training, consistent service standards and visible career pathways. A therapist should be able to see how to progress into specialist practice, training, management or business ownership. Employers also have a responsibility to provide working conditions and development opportunities that make those careers sustainable. That is part of what we contribute through the Oríkì Training Institute: practical skills that connect to real opportunities. Training must reflect what professionals need to deliver safely and competently, alongside customer service, communication and commercial understanding. We also need stronger industry data. We must be able to demonstrate the jobs created, businesses supported and value generated. Better evidence would help investors, policymakers and financial institutions understand the sector and make informed decisions about supporting it. Access matters too. There is room for premium experiences alongside services and products that meet a wider range of needs and budgets. We should develop those opportunities with clear, responsible claims about what we offer.

Ultimately, the industry must earn confidence through its standards, workforce and business performance. My ambition is for a young person entering wellness to see a respected profession with a future, and for the sector to be recognised as a meaningful contributor to economic development. The industry also needs women-led businesses to be recognised for their economic contributions and leadership.

What legacy do you want to leave not just for the company and the wellness industry, but for your children and the generation of African women watching you build?

I want to leave an institution that continues to create value long after my direct involvement one that develops people, creates jobs and demonstrates the global possibilities of African enterprise. I would love part of Oríkì’s legacy to be the businesses that grew through our manufacturing capabilities, the professionals equipped through our training and the leaders who began their journeys with us. For the wellness industry, I hope we help establish stronger standards and greater respect for African expertise. As the sub-committee leader of the technical committee on beauty care and wellbeing for the spa industry, I want those coming after us to inherit a stronger foundation from which to build. For my children, the legacy is deeply personal. I want them to know that their mother loved them, was present in their lives and lived her faith out loud, through her choices. I hope they inherit courage, integrity and a sense of responsibility for others, alongside whatever opportunities the business creates. Above all, I want them to feel free to discover their own callings. For the African women watching me build, I hope my journey expands their sense of what is possible. I want them to see that they can build substantial institutions, enter unfamiliar spaces and pursue ambitious ideas. I also want them to understand that support, preparation and perseverance are part of that journey. They do not have to carry every responsibility alone. Ultimately, I want the impact of my life to outlive my presence: an institution that continues to create opportunity, children who carry the certainty that they were deeply loved and nurtured, and generations of African women who build boldly because my journey helped them see what was possible. That is the legacy I am building towards. Stories of women building across industries, including African women entrepreneurs, offer examples of that wider ambition. The future also depends on women’s representation and achievement, and on creating more opportunities for women to lead and build sustainable enterprises. Oríkì’s work with mobile wellness services, including Unwind, reflects one way businesses can create professional opportunities for women.