6 Young Nigerian Millionaires To Watch Out For

Nigeria is reputed to have the highest number of billionaires in Africa. 
The Dangotes, Adenugas and Elumelus are always in the limelight but no attention is given to the young and upcoming ones.

ABIOLA OLANIRAN

Forbes’ Mfonobong Nsehe profiles Africa’s growing crop of young entrepreneurs who will transform the continent and rewrite its future. Naij.com has taken out the Nigerians on the list and brings them to you here:
1. Abiola Olaniran (Founder, Gamsole): Olaniran, 26, is the founder and CEO of Nigerian gaming company, Gamsole. Olaniran founded the company in 2012, and it has venture backing from 88mph, a Kenyan seed fund. The company’s games now have more than 9 million downloads both locally and internationally on the Windows Phone store.

Abiola Olaniran

2. Mark Essien (Founder, Hotels.ng): Essien, 31, is the founder of Hotels.ng, Nigeria’s largest hotel booking website. The online portal allows users from all over the world to book rooms from a selection of over 6000 hotels. The company has so far raised more than $250,000 in funding from Spark Fund among other investors.

Mark Essien

3. Iyinoluwa Aboyeji (Founder, Andela): Aboyeji, 23, is a co-founder at Andela, a global talent accelerator that trains young intelligent Africans to be world-class developers and then connects them with top employers around the world looking for top technical talent. Andela’s backers include the founders of Facebook, eBay, and AOL.

Iyinoluwa Aboyeji

4. Rex Idaminabo (Founder, Achievers Media): Idaminabo, 29, is the founder and CEO of Acheivers Media, the organization which hosts the popular African Achievers Award, an annual event that recognizes individuals and organizations that have distinguished themselves in their contribution towards the growth and development of Africa. The event generates in excess of $1 million in sponsorship revenue annually. He is also the co-founder of Young CEO’s Business forum and was recently appointed as an Advisory Board member of the World Leaders Forum in Dubai.

Rex Idaminabo

5. Edose Ohen (Founder, Alfa O & O Networks; Glazed the Doughnut Cafe): He is the founder of Alfa O & O Networks, a fixed wireless internet service provider focused on connecting homes in Benin City, Edo State Nigeria to the Internet in order to reduce the digital divide. He also owns Glazed the Doughnut Cafe, Houston’s first 24 hour doughnut shop. Glazed is on track to pull in revenues of $1.2 million this year and is listed as a top doughnut shop in Houston.

Edose Ohen

6. Uche Pedro (Founder, BellaNaija): Pedro, 30, is one of Nigerian most popular new media entrepreneurs. BellaNaija, the Nigerian lifestyle, entertainment and fashion website which she founded, attracts more than 10 million page views every month from readers all across the world.

Uche Pedro

In a related development, President Goodluck Jonathan last month, said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last 15 years has created many millionaires and billionaires in Nigeria.