Self-Mastery, Clarity As Competitive Edge<\/strong><\/p>\nFounder of Moniepoint Incorporated, Tosin Eniolorunda, shifted the focus inward, identifying self-mastery as the most critical factor for entrepreneurial success.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe biggest problem of an entrepreneur is yourself, and when you conquer yourself, you conquer the world. As an entrepreneur, your biggest challenge is anxiety,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He emphasised goal-setting and clarity of purpose, cautioning against launching businesses without direction.<\/p>\n
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Influential builders, thinkers, and operators in Africa, spoke directly to young Nigerians about enterprise, leadership, and the future of work.<\/p>\n
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Eniolorunda also highlighted the importance of building structures that serve organisational goals rather than individuals.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need to set clear goals in your mind. You cannot set up a business that is for profit, and you do not have clarity about where you want to go,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n
Addressing societal influences, he warned against glorifying quick wealth, urging young Nigerians to pursue legitimate and sustainable paths.<\/p>\n
\u201cNigeria has what it takes. We are driven people, motivated people, and hardworking people. All we need to do is develop our human capital,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
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Building Systems That Enable Growth<\/strong><\/p>\nAlso speaking, Group Executive at Coronation Group, Ngozi Akinyele, highlighted the importance of trust, structure, and intentional leadership in driving innovation.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery single day, you have an opportunity to scale trust, and if you don\u2019t scale trust, you can\u2019t scale growth,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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Using the seven levers that shaped her career, Ngozi Akinyele explained how leadership can open doors for future leaders.<\/p>\n
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Akinyele stressed that organisations must deliberately design systems that support growth.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome organisations do not have an organisation. If you don\u2019t have an organogram, you are simply saying you are not intentional about anybody\u2019s growth,\u201d she noted, likening poor structure to \u201casking somebody to climb a ladder when they can\u2019t see the next rung.\u201d<\/p>\n
She encouraged entrepreneurs to adopt adaptability, urging them to become what she described as a \u201cSponge Boss.\u201d<\/p>\n
Enterprise As Engine For National Development
Founder of Reel Fruit, Affiong Williams, argued that enterprise remains the fastest route to economic transformation across Nigeria and Africa.<\/p>\n
She called for long-term thinking and sustainable business models capable of delivering lasting impact.<\/p>\n
Similarly, the founder of Capital Sage Holdings, John Alamu, urged entrepreneurs to identify their core competencies, noting that execution would define future winners.<\/p>\n
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Influential builders, thinkers, and operators in Africa, spoke directly to young Nigerians about enterprise, leadership, and the future of work.<\/p>\n
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Bridging Divides, Building Unity<\/strong><\/p>\nOn the global stage, entrepreneur Vusi Thembekwayo addressed concerns over xenophobia in South Africa, challenging what he described as a misleading narrative.<\/p>\n
\u201cContrary to what you see in the media, South Africans are not xenophobic,\u201d Thembekwayo said, while acknowledging that xenophobia does exist in parts of society.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe there is an agenda to turn us against each other. We fuel that agenda when we feed the noise and fire.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am not saying there is no xenophobia, but saying the entire nation being xenophobic is missing the point,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Declaring the event open, convener Poju Oyemade noted that The Platform, launched in 2007, has entered its 20th year.<\/p>\n
He emphasised that true success lies in lifting others.<\/p>\n
Held under the theme \u201cUnlocking the Second Half Advantage: Transition, Impact and Legacy,\u201d the event brought together influential voices to inspire a new generation of innovators and nation-builders.<\/p>\n
Other influential builders, thinkers, and operators in Africa, who spoke directly to young Nigerians about enterprise, leadership, and the future of work, were Sinari Bolade Daranijo and Nancy Ogbue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u00a0 \u00a0 Leading business figures, policymakers, and entrepreneurs delivered a unifying message at the 2026 Workers\u2019 Day edition…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":934873,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3094],"tags":[51,3134,245730,261429,93879,16,15,261430],"class_list":{"0":"post-934872","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entrepreneurship","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-entrepreneurship","10":"tag-kemi-adeosun","11":"tag-moniepoint","12":"tag-the-platform","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom","15":"tag-workers-day"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116510396566364216","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/934872","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=934872"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/934872\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/934873"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=934872"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=934872"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=934872"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/The-Platform-Nigeria-2026-2.jpg\"\/)
Influential builders, thinkers, and operators in Africa, spoke directly to young Nigerians about enterprise, leadership, and the future of work<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3rd-speaker.jpg\"\/)
Adeosun warned against the notion that success can only be achieved through starting a business, describing such thinking as a dangerous logic.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/The-Platform-Nigeria-2026-3.jpg\"\/)
Influential builders, thinkers, and operators in Africa, spoke directly to young Nigerians about enterprise, leadership, and the future of work.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/first-speaker.jpg\"\/)
Using the seven levers that shaped her career, Ngozi Akinyele explained how leadership can open doors for future leaders.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/The-Platform-Nigeria-2026-4.jpg\"\/)
Influential builders, thinkers, and operators in Africa, spoke directly to young Nigerians about enterprise, leadership, and the future of work.<\/p>\n