Ayeni Adekunle, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of BlackHouse Media (BHM), has urged Nigerian entrepreneurs to leverage strategic corporate ecosystems and trade platforms to build multinationals capable of dominating international markets.
Speaking as a panellist at the Nigeria-South Africa Chamber of Commerce (NSACC) breakfast forum held at the Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, on Thursday, August 27, 2026, Adekunle outlined how strategic domestic partnerships serve as springboards for global competitiveness.
Reflecting on his firm’s trajectory from a modest communications startup in Lagos to an international public relations and tech consultancy with footprints in London and Edinburgh, Adekunle emphasised that African professionals possess the requisite intellectual capital to lead global industries.
“My vision is for local Nigerian and African companies to be so empowered and visionary that they can compete anywhere in the world.”
Adekunle pointed out that the strategic cooperation between Africa’s two economic juggernauts, Nigeria and South Africa must move beyond local supply contracts toward exporting African intellectual property and technological solutions.
“I travel around the world, and I see that we are not less intelligent than anyone elsewhere; what we need is to leverage structured corporate partnerships to build institutions that stand shoulder-to-shoulder with European and American multinationals.”
The session featured a keynote address by enterprise leader Modupe Kadri, alongside insights from fellow panellists Udeme Ufot, Group Managing Director of SO&U; Yemi Chukwurah, CEO of Seams and Stitches; and Afolabi Sobande, Group COO of Computer Warehouse Group.
The panellists underscored how corporate anchors, including MTN Nigeria, have provided the scale and institutional discipline needed for indigenous service providers to refine their operations, expand workforce capacity, and compete globally.
As a premier bilateral trade organisation, the NSACC continues to facilitate high-level commercial exchanges, investment flows, and strategic alliances between Nigerian and South African corporate operators.
Participants at the gathering concluded that deliberate corporate access, high operational standards, and shared economic vision remain the ultimate drivers for building resilient African enterprises over the next 25 years.
