Get Guardian on GoogleLagos-based property technology startup, Utilit, has officially launched operations with a mission to become the digital backbone of Nigeria’s estate economy.
Founded by Stephen Aluo (Chief Executive Officer) and Victor Ibrahim (Co-founder), Utilit is building a platform that automates estate management — from resident billing and utilities to access control and community administration. Beyond improving efficiency, the company aims to unlock the massive data opportunity within Africa’s growing gated communities.
Nigeria is estimated to have over 30,000 residential estates, many still managed manually, resulting in limited financial visibility, opaque governance, and lost revenue.
“Today, estate data is dark data that is untracked, unstructured, and unused,” Stephen said.
“We are changing that. Utilit is not just a tool for managers; it’s a system that can unlock data to power better planning, credit access, and infrastructure decisions across Nigeria’s cities.”
While Utilit’s initial offering focuses on automating billing, utilities, and resident engagement, its founders envision a broader goal — to position estates as nodes within Africa’s emerging urban infrastructure network.
Victor said: “If you digitise estates, you’re not just solving admin problems. You’re creating structured demand profiles for electricity, water, security, and even broadband. That data is powerful. It can drive smarter infrastructure investment, new financial products, and better services for millions of residents.”
Africa’s proptech industry continues to expand, with companies such as Venco and Clannit validating estate management as a growing category. Utilit believes its edge lies in treating estates not just as residential clusters, but as scalable, connected digital ecosystems.
“Every estate is a micro-economy,” Stephen noted. “By connecting them, you’re essentially building a new utility network. That’s the bigger picture we’re chasing.”
As Africa’s urban population is projected to double by 2050, gated estates are fast becoming the preferred housing model for the middle class. Utilit’s approach is to make estate living more transparent and efficient while creating a foundation that governments, investors, and service providers can leverage for smarter city development.
“The same way mobile money created rails for fintech, estates can become rails for urban services,” Stephen added. “Utilit is building the platform to make that happen.”
