By Eric Elezuo

Africa is a great land, and Africans are great and intelligent people, contributing more than their quota to the growth and development of world economy, sustainability and peace. This is a direct consequence of the untold efforts of the continent’s men and women of different class and creed, who are doing great things across the length and breadth of the continent and beyond. One of such indefatigable geniuses is the incredible Martial Kpochan, an African of Beniniose descent, who plies his enterprise across every available space in the universe. He majors in trade and investment, auditing and accounting among distinguished entrepreneurial endeavours.

Martial Kpochan image looms large, and speaks volumes in the financial and accounting world as he is reputed to be the brain behind the founding and establishment of the 10 Principles of Economy of Being, which has garnered a wide global recognition.

Born in Cotonou, Benin Republic, on June 30, 1981 to the family of Mr and Mrs Pierrot Kpochan, Martial as he is fondly known among family and friends, is an epitome of business solutions, initiatives and economic renewal, having invested over 20 years of his life in entrepreneurship, garnering experience in financial auditing, accounting expertise, and business and damage valuation. Martial Kpochan has, without equivocation, built a remarkable career rich in diverse experiences and deep expertise.

Martial’s professional career kickstarted in 2002, when he was absorbed at the audit firm, SACOR, in Paris, France. Afterwards, and with a backload of experience, he moved to Montreal, Canada, where he joined Picard Choronzey Inc.

In 2005, he returned to France and worked with BDO and DELOITTE groups in quick succession.

Budding with the zeal to further affect the world, Martial, in 2008, and driven by an entrepreneurial vision, desire to affect humanity, his country of birth and his country of residence, France, he founded Natray Consulting Group, a company he chairs till the present.

Among many of his larger than life academic and professional build-ups and accomplishments, Martial is certified in Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA), a framework developed by the IMF and the World Bank for assessing public financial management.

He is also a statutory auditor at the Court of Appeal of Versailles, and his qualifications also include certifications in business and damage valuation, as well as degrees in accounting expertise and advanced accounting and financial studies. He is a member of the Order of Chartered Accountants of Benin, the Order of Chartered Accountants of France, and the South African Institute of Professional Accountants.

Additionally, Martial Kpochan has led numerous audit and financial expertise missions for prestigious companies, governments, and projects funded by international donors such as the World Bank and the European Union, positioning him as a recognized leader in his field.

Under his leadership, Natray Consulting Group has become a major international player with a significant presence in Africa and Europe. Martial Kpochan’s international experience spans several continents, with missions in France, Canada, Hong Kong, South Africa, West Africa, North Africa, and Central Africa. This exposure to diverse economic contexts has allowed him to develop great openness and a deep understanding of global financial dynamics, enhancing his ability to adapt to local specificities while maintaining a global vision.

In parallel with his career in finance, Martial Kpochan is passionate about humanist philosophy. This intellectual quest led him to found the Institute of Economic and Political Intelligence in 2012, followed by the creation of the Institute of Being, which he currently presides over. This institute aims to defend the public interest in the decision-making process.

In this capacity, he has published the “10 Principles of the Economy of Being,” which he actively promotes in Africa and internationally. Today, Martial Kpochan dedicates himself to the Institute of Being, where he continues to influence public decision-making by defending the general interest.

His dual approach, combining rigorous technical expertise with deep philosophical reflection, gives him a unique perspective on addressing the complex challenges facing contemporary societies. His vision and leadership position him as a key actor capable of making significant contributions to public governance and improving management practices on a global scale.

Aligned with his grand vision of the Economy of Being, he supports the ECRU ESSENCE project, which aims to create a production line using locally made fabric from Benin, bringing it to the forefront. This project could create more than 10,000 long-term jobs. Through his investment, the ecru fabric was showcased in its first fashion show during FESMMA 2024.

His commitment to democracy has led him to participate in two major conferences at the Vatican, one on education and democracy, and the other on democracy in a fragmented world. On these occasions, he had the opportunity to meet the Pope during two audiences.

His involvement and visionary approach have allowed him to meet the President of the Parliament of the Canton of Geneva and participate in a conference at the World Economic Forum.

Martial is an advocate for the dissemination of the “10 Principles of the Economy of Being.” He presented these principles at the Global Governance Fund, an ECOSOC NGO of the United Nations, as well as at the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa.

He also showcased these principles during Mandela Days, where he took part in a charity event distributing thousands of meals and blankets in Tsakhane.

A happily is married man, and wonderful father to his four lovely children, Martial dreams to see the adoption of a Universal Declaration of the Economy of Being, similar to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

For your steadfast commitment to the growth of African economy through down to earth Enterprises, you are our boss of the week. Congratulations sir!

By Eric Elezuo

“Your dreams must exceed your current capacity to achieve them…you are enough, you can do it,” – Dr. Funmi Adewara 

Nigerians in the Diaspora have left nothing to chance in proving that the country is blessed with abundance of talents across diverse fields of human endeavours; entertainment, medicine, sports, academia and a whole lot more.

Among the categories of bring our pride home Nigerians is the beautiful and sophisticated Founder/Chief Executive Officer of Mobihealth International, Dr. Funmi Adewara, who prides herself as an accomplished medical technocrat, physician, entrepreneur, telehealth expert among a host of distinct profitable human engagements. It’s worthy of note that Adewara’s Mobihealth is not a run-off-the-mill health institution; it is a dedicated and specialized arm of medication and medical health delivery. She was once Forbes Woman African Technology and Innovation Award winner.

Young vibrant and highly calculative, Dr. Adewara cuts across as the dual citizen of many ages, juxaposing medical disciplines of diverse times to create an all new medical development, acceptable for all times, and operational in this present dispensation.

A proud graduate of the University of Ibadan, where she studied Medicine, Dr. Adewara was born and brought up in Kaduna State before higher education brought her down to the west. She relocated to the United Kingdom after graduation to further her education at the University of Cambridge, where she earned a Master’s degree in Bioscience Enterprise.

Among a lot of things she is, within a brief spell of time, Dr. Funmi Adewara covets a British-Nigerian status, walks head held high as a Cambridge-trained Bioscience Entrepreneur, and is proud to tell every listening ear of her undeniable status of a globally recognized telehealth expert. Hers, in achievements, is not a fluke. She is a hard worker, and it is no accident that she is everything that she is today.

Her exceptional service delivery, inventive abilities, initiatives and dedication to assignments have bestowed on her recognitions and awards from A-list corners.

She is a multi-award-winning entrepreneur, and has an extensive background in medicine, pharmaceuticals, and business development. Her personal profile credited her with over 15 years of experience working within the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) and the pharmaceutical industry as a Drug Safety Physician.

For those, who must have harboured the question, why Mobihealth? It is of paramount importance to note that she was, and is still driven by passion for the transformation of healthcare in underserved communities.

Consequently, Dr. Adewara’s Mobihealth International, a company dedicated to solving critical healthcare challenges in Africa and beyond came to existence. Her leadership has seen Mobihealth develop comprehensive telehealth solutions that address issues like shortages of healthcare professionals, high treatment costs, and long-distance travel for patients.

Having partnered with the high and mighty in global business, she had received grants from nobles including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, on which pedestal Mobihealth’s integrated Telehealth clinics are making strides towards achieving Universal Health Coverage, with a focus on primary healthcare centers (PHCs).

Dr. Adewara’s work has garnered international recognition, earning her numerous awards. She was one of seven global winners of the World Bank SDGs&Her 2020 Awards, selected from over 2,400 entries, and was also a winner of the Sanofi Africa-Tech Challenge in Paris in 2020. Under her visionary leadership, Mobihealth pioneered the first telehealth initiative for the Nigerian Air Force in 2021, marking a historic milestone in Africa.

Dr. Adewara is also a recipient of the African Female Tech Founders Award, which led to her invitation to the Africa-UK Investment Summit by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2020. In 2023, she was named the winner of the Forbes Woman African Technology and Innovation Awards and became a top 50 finalist in Africa’s Business Heroes competition. Her entrepreneurial journey was also celebrated at the NASDAQ Entrepreneurial Milestone Maker Program, where she was showcased at New York’s Times Square in 2023.

With H.E Wemkele Mene, Secretary General, African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat.

Dr. Funmi Adewara continues to be a leading voice in telemedicine, advocating technological solutions that improve healthcare access for all.

With her giant strides in the field of medicine, the accomplished CEO of Mobihealth International, has traced her way home to Nigeria, where she advocated the adoption of telemedicine in the Nigerian health sector.

She noted that it could help address 60 per cent of the medical issues facing Nigerians. This was during the two-day 2024 Africa Social Impact Summit held in Lagos, with the theme, ‘Reimagining Progress: A New Blueprint for Sustainable Growth in Africa’, and co-convened by the Sterling One Foundation, and the United Nations Nigeria.

To her, telemedicine offers a transformative solution to Nigeria’s healthcare system in the immediate and long term, and could address 60 per cent of the medical issues facing the citizens, adding that it connects patients in remote areas with medical professionals, providing timely consultations, diagnoses, and treatments without the need for travelling.

With staff of FCTA

She informed that more key benefits of telemedicine adoption in the country abound, and they include increased access to health services, cost-effectiveness, improved health outcomes, enhanced data management, and education, among others.

In her words “With quicker access to medical expertise, patients can receive timely interventions, reduce the risk of complications, and improve overall health outcomes.

“Digital platforms facilitate better tracking and management of patient data, leading to more informed and effective healthcare decisions, adding that knowledge and skills can be facilitated through telehealth to address the skill gap and boost manpower,” she informed.

With Kenyan President H.E William Ruto during US Africa Business Forum, Washington DC 2023

She is obsessively committed to driving robust telemedicine adoption, especially for primary healthcare, and has not hesitated on seeking collaboration government agencies, healthcare providers, and private sector stakeholders.

Her goals are broad and inordinate, accommodating improvement of access to maternal and child health, reproductive health, health education, as well as reducing hospitalisation by 70 per cent, and making it cost-effective.

It is her diligence and marketing ability of sellable product and services that prompted Afreximbank to sign project preparation facility with Mobihealth to drive digital healthcare solutions across Africa.

The pact is expected to bolster the expansion of Mobihealth’s telemedicine services in Nigeria, and also assess the feasibility of establishing similar services in Egypt, Ghana, Kenya and Cote d’ Ivoire.

Under the terms of the agreement, Afreximbank will part-finance project preparatory activities that will leverage MobiHealth’s successfully integrated telemedicine proprietary platform, initially piloted in Nigeria, to the four additional countries. This initiative is expected to rapidly lead to the establishment of a network of telemedicine clinics across Africa, fully equipped with out-patient facilities. The project preparation facility of up to US$ 1.5 million is expected to advance the Project to bankability, whereupon this is expected to unlock further investments estimated at US$ 65 million.

It takes only an entrepreneur that knows her onions to land such magnificent advantages. It is very clear that she is practically existing to affect lives, irrespective of whose.

She noted that “The signing of this facility agreement marks yet another significant milestone in MobiHealth’s quest to proffer digital healthcare solutions across the continent. We are thrilled to have the support of Afreximbank, a pan-African multilateral financial institution with the scale and capacity to enable us to achieve this objective in a timely manner. Their involvement is a strong validation for our business model and I would like to laud Afreximbank, AIF and USTDA for their visionary leadership and steadfast commitment to support the provision of quality healthcare to African citizens.”

She has also partnered with the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to expand access to quality healthcare, improved health facilities and to bring medical expertise closer to the people.

The entrepreneur is well traveled, and had interfaced with notable World Leaders in politics and business among others. Some of them are Dr Akinwumi Adesina
President, African Development Bank (AfDB); Kenyan President, H.E William Ruto, at the US Africa Business Forum, Washington DC 2023; H.E Wemkele Mene, Secretary General, African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat, in addition to numerous congratulatory messages from notable World personalities and bodies including former Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari and Forbes.

ABOUT MOBIHEALTH

Mobihealth is a Nigerian subsidiary of Mobihealth International Ltd., a UK-domiciled telehealth provider. Mobihealth was founded by Dr. Funmi Adewara in 2017 and publicly rolled out its service offerings in 2020.

In late 2020, Dr. Adewara was recognized by the World Bank for her work with Mobihealth and the development of its digital healthcare platform with the “Her World Bank SDGs&Her (Sustainable Development Goals) Award 2020.” The award was a part of a virtual award event carried out by the World Bank, in partnership with UNDP, UN Women, and the Wharton School Zicklin Center that recognizes women entrepreneurs. From 2020 to 2021, Mobihealth’s subscriber base in Nigeria grew from less than 4,000 to more than 34,000, and revenue increased from $83,500 to $814,400.

Adewara is a distinguished family woman, and has been prolific and combining the home front with entrepreneurship,  and by dint of hard work and divine assessment, none has suffered neglect.

This is saying a hearty congratulations to greatness; congratulations Dr. Funmi Adewara for being a medical entrepreneur like no other.

By Eric Elezuo

Here’s the story of a man, who read his way out of poverty. A man, who is known by a dictum not common to ordinary mortals; the dictum of perfection. It is nobwonder that he is credited with the say, “I am a perfectionist, and I take nothing short of excellence”.

His name is Adetola Nola. He is athe Chief Executive Officer at Veritasi Homes and Properties, A.R.N Farms and Commodities Limited, which he founded and signed off to build one of the largest rice milling plants in West Africa; Asteric Asset Management, and Baraka Energy Lithium Processing Limited. Nola’s image looms large, and he is just 34.

Nola is a typical example of the ‘real’ Nigerian youths, who are steadily proving that the not too young to run mantra is not just about politics, but spreads across every facet of human endeavour, chiefly among which is entrepreneurship.

It is therefore, not a surprise that before the age of 30, the star brained thinker, determined achiever and never-say-never entrepreneur, who has conquered the world of real estate, agriculture, mining and asset management giant, is already ruling their worlds, giving back to humanity and creating leverages that are already making the world a much more better place as well as pave the way for upcoming youths to bring their dreams to reality.

Nola is a standard measure for administrative competence, and the fact anyone can achieve greatness if they set their minds to it.

Born 1990, Adetola Nola, is unarguably an excellence-driven and innovative real estate entrepreneur with positive energy and experience instrumental in redefining success in the Nigerian real estate industry. He does not only boast of these energies, but steadfastly put them to work and has reinvented a whole new strata of home management, estate development and all round provision of affordable housing for every class of humanity, Nigerians more especially.

A well-read intellectual, Nola is a Bachelor of Engineering degree holder in Chemical Engineering from the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. He has not left anything to chance as regards improvement educationally as he has just concluded an MBA (Masters in Business Administration) degree at the Metropolitan School of Business & Management, London.

His strong leaning on education and in continuous learning have created in him a need not to rest on his oars, prompting him to attend many capacity development courses, including Strategic Management & Leadership courses at the London Metropolitan University, Finance and Management Courses at the London School of Business & Finance; and numerous seminars locally and internationally. Little wonder he tells anyone he cares to listen that “I read my way out of poverty”.

Ever since he ventured into entrepreneurship, Adetola Nola has not looked back; he has not allowed himself to be weighed down by the vicissitudes surrounding business establishment and grooming, and has consequently, raked in extraordinary achievements under the age of 30, prompting the magnanimous Forbes to recognise him among the Forbes Africa Under 30 Class of 2019, when he was 29.

Reacting to his selection, Nola noted that “It is an honour to be part of this list that features so many great people. Forbes has done a great job compiling and ensuring the credibility of this list since inception, and it is a leading resource for entrepreneurs, like myself.”

The CEO is an epitome of impressive leadership, corporate management skills, and rich top management experience. His expertise, knowledge and experience span sales, marketing, real estate investment, property finance, real estate advisory, management, leadership development among a long list of business and entrepreneur oriented endeavours.

From a mere start up, Nola kick-started his real estate career. He began as a real estate sales consultant with Grenadine Homes, where he recorded a plethora of successes in closing property deals. Every pie he puts his hands is on becomes a done deal. His ingenuity won him a trip to Dubai while at Grenadine. He reported that once he sold shoes so well to a client that the client felt he could sell real estate, and there arose his interest in real estate.

In 2017, after facilitating projects for other real estate companies, he founded his own company, Veritasi with just one staff – his secretary. But his style of leadership, rooted in eye for details and profits, the company recorded over N2 billion in revenue in less than two years of operation. In his modesty, he attributed the feat to the company’s vision of solving the housing problems of middle-income earners in Nigeria.

From the proverbial mustard seed, the company has grown to boast of over 12,000 real estate consultants, 1300 Veritasi Realtors and 18 full-time staff, today. This is a magnificent leap by all standard.

Nola has remained undaunted in his pursuit of the golden fleece or the green pastures even as he encountered untold entrepreneurial hassles. It has been reported that the man, who today has a Midas touch, has failed severally in business, but his sight on the ultimate goal, kept him going. And today he is a success story. A point of reference, and a veritable instrument with a passion to see and help other businesses grow.

“All the other businesses were learning grounds for us. They failed, but they taught me a lot of things. Because when I started Veritasi, I understood business dynamics and a lot of other things. I am trying to resurrect one or two,” he said.

The entrepreneur’s experience in growing businesses from the scratch to fruition is predicated upon his ability to have either founded or co-founded five other companies, including Noah and Nola Incorporated, Pineapples Luxury Retail Store and Couture 89 amongst others. He is also the current Founder/Chief Strategist Officer of Nola Travels. It is worthy of note that Nola founded this particular business with the sole aim of helping unemployed graduates. That explains how kindhearted he is, and can always be!

Walking in the footsteps of great African entrepreneurs like Tony Elumelu, Nola has a wholesome ambition of raising at least 200 successful African entrepreneurs who will, in turn, create employment and the circle continues. He has, as a matter of fact, been training batches of at least forty realtors and entrepreneurs on business and financial intelligence in his office every Thursday since November 2018. He also helps friends and family members to analyse their businesses, just as he assists the same friends and family members to see to the fruition of their businesses.

In all, Nola has analysed over 40 businesses, and still counting, for close friends and family members in the same way he has helped in restructuring about 20 of these businesses free of charge.

His corporate social responsibility has grown in leaps and bounds, affecting lives and giving hope to as many that he has come in contact with. He is presently championing the emergence of smarter communities with green energy in Nigeria while developing and providing properties that are timely in delivery, cost-effective, energy efficient, and durable. He is also a strategic investor with investments in the automobile industry, fashion and agriculture. His catalogue of palliatives for the good of his people has remained green even as he is still a very young man.

Nola is a thoroughbred inspirational speaker as well as a resource person in many affairs of life. While impacting his community, he has acted as a resource person at many learning and discourse sessions. He has also spoken in many local and international conferences including University of Mazda, Abu Dhabi and Property Investment & Homebuyers Show, London and others.

In his quest to further affect humanity, he has partnered with a number of NGOs with the aim of eradicating poverty and establishing a positive legacy. His belief in entrepreneurship has given him leverage to solve the challenge of unemployment and poverty in Africa. He has therefore, created platforms where people can work and learn to build companies of their own.

AWARDS AND ACCOLADES 

Nola is not new to awards considering his humongous achievements. He has to his credit multiple local and international awards among which are Most Enterprising Student from Obafemi Awolowo University; Most Innovative Staff from Grenadine Homes; Best Intern in Operations from NNPC; Young Real Estate CEO Speaker from Property Investment Show, London and Fastest Growing Entreprenuer from Grapevine Real Estate.

Nola is a force to reckon with, and had started from the earliest of stages to create the accolades that follows him today, even at his youthful age.

THE PRESTIGIOUS CAMBERWALL ESTATE, LEKKI

Recently, Nola’s company unveiled an ambitious site and services scheme in Lekki, called Camberwall Estate. This magnanimous project is coming just after the Star City Garden in Ibeju-Lekki was first released. The estate consists of service plots.

A must buy and home to every lover of affordable luxury, Camberwall, a homely estate, which is located along Eleko Beach and opposite Amen Estate in Ibeju-Lekki Council, is a few minutes drive to Lagos Business School, and proposed airport. There is no doubt that it is an investor’s delight.

Speaking about the estate, Nola said it is a residential haven designed to provide affordable experience in a conducive and serene environment. He added that the estate is designed to accommodate modern state of the art facilities like interlocked road, clinic and security beautiful landscape, drainages, street lights, and estate club houses.

That is not all, it comprises a central designed architectural piece of accommodation, which provides residents with an ideal believe of tranquility and modern convenience. As part of his innovations, he is replicating noiseless and smart homes in Nigeria.

Nola does not only have a Midas touch in business, he is a stickler to excellence, decorum and the best of services. Little wonder he rolled out the drums to celebrate staff and clients as the year 2021 wound down in a most elaborate end of year party. He is by all means the class of technocrats capable of turning the economic fortunes of the nation, Nigeria around, and needs to be giving a chance.

A typical Epicurus son, Nola is a lover of good things including splendid food, neatly and smartly tailored apparels and worthy vacations to ease the stress and rejuvenate the mind.

Welcome to the impressive world of the indefatigable investor, Adetola Nola!