January 2026

For more than a decade, Sim Shagaya has operated at the intersection of technology, consumer behavior and market creation across Africa. His companies have not only introduced new products to the continent’s digital economy, they have forced investors, policymakers and corporates to rethink what is possible in African markets. From DealDey to Konga and now uLesson, Shagaya has built a portfolio of ventures that consistently challenge the limits of infrastructure while proving that African consumers will adopt technology when it is designed with precision and patience. Shagaya’s entry into the entrepreneurial world began at a moment when Africa’s digital landscape was still fragmented. Internet access was uneven, payment systems were unreliable and logistics networks barely existed. Yet he recognized a shift in the behavior of urban consumers who were becoming increasingly comfortable transacting and consuming content online. His first major play, DealDey, tapped into this emerging demand by offering curated deals and experiences at a time when online shopping in Nigeria was far from mainstream. It quickly revealed both the promise and the constraints of internet commerce in the country. That insight shaped his approach to Konga, which became one of the most ambitious and technically complex e commerce companies Africa had ever seen. Rather than adopt a lightweight marketplace model, Shagaya chose a full stack strategy, building out logistics, warehousing, payment infrastructure and customer service capabilities from the ground up. This decision placed Konga in a league of its own. It forced investors to confront the real cost of scaling digital consumer businesses in Africa and set a new operational benchmark for the ecosystem. Even as competition intensified and market pressures mounted, Konga remained a key training ground for talent and a reference point for what disciplined execution in African e commerce could look like. His move into education technology with uLesson marked a shift in industry focus but not in ambition. Shagaya had become increasingly aware that African students were underserved by existing learning tools and that the continent’s young population represented one of the largest education markets in the world. uLesson was built to meet that need with content that reflected local curricula, interactive tools that matched student behavior and delivery methods suited to environments with inconsistent connectivity. The rapid adoption of the platform across multiple countries demonstrated that a homegrown education product could achieve scale and cultural relevance simultaneously. It also placed Shagaya at the center of a new conversation about the future of learning across Africa. What distinguishes Shagaya’s work is his ability to translate long term structural observations into operational strategy. He does not chase hype cycles or build for short term traction. He builds companies with the intention of reshaping consumer behavior over a long horizon. His ventures often arrive before the market is fully ready, but his timing has repeatedly proven accurate as the ecosystem catches up. That pattern explains why so many founders, operators and investors cite him as one of the clearest thinkers in African technology. Today, Shagaya stands as one of the most respected entrepreneurs on the continent not because his journey has been linear or without obstacles, but because his work has had measurable influence on how Africa’s digital economy has evolved. The companies he built, the talent he trained and the markets he helped shape continue to define the trajectory of African tech. In an ecosystem where scale is difficult and patience is rare, Sim Shagaya remains a reminder that enduring companies are built through discipline, insight and a deep understanding of the continent’s realities.

Adesuwa Okunbo Rhodes is quietly becoming one of the most influential forces in African private capital. In a sector long dominated by men and foreign decision makers, she has built Aruwa Capital Management into one of the continent’s most powerful women-led investment firms The standard Lorem Ipsum passage, used since the 1500s “Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.” Section 1.10.32 of “de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum”, written by Cicero in 45 BC “Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?” 1914 translation by H. Rackham “But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?” Section 1.10.33 of “de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum”, written by Cicero in 45 BC “At vero eos et accusamus et iusto odio dignissimos ducimus qui blanditiis praesentium voluptatum deleniti atque corrupti quos dolores et quas molestias excepturi sint occaecati cupiditate non provident, similique sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollitia animi, id est laborum et dolorum fuga. Et harum quidem rerum facilis est et expedita distinctio. Nam libero tempore, cum soluta nobis est eligendi optio cumque nihil impedit quo minus id quod maxime placeat facere possimus, omnis voluptas assumenda est, omnis dolor repellendus. Temporibus autem quibusdam et aut officiis debitis aut rerum necessitatibus saepe eveniet ut et voluptates repudiandae sint et molestiae non recusandae. Itaque earum rerum hic tenetur a sapiente delectus, ut aut reiciendis voluptatibus maiores alias consequatur aut perferendis doloribus asperiores repellat.” 1914 translation by H. Rackham “On the other hand, we denounce with righteous indignation and dislike men who are so beguiled and demoralized by the charms of pleasure of the moment, so blinded by desire, that they cannot foresee the pain and trouble that are bound to ensue; and equal blame belongs to those who fail in their duty through weakness of will, which is the same as saying through shrinking from toil and pain. These cases are perfectly simple and easy to distinguish. In a free hour, when our power of choice is untrammelled and when nothing prevents our being able to do what we like best, every pleasure is to be welcomed and every pain avoided. But in certain circumstances and owing to the claims of duty or the obligations of business it will frequently occur that pleasures have to be repudiated and annoyances accepted. The wise man therefore always holds in these matters to this principle of selection: he rejects pleasures to secure other greater pleasures, or else he endures pains to avoid worse pains.”