Adérójú Ope-Ajayi, a Nigerian entrepreneur with a passion for fostering positive change in the sports industry — Lionesses of Africa

Why should anyone use your service or product?

Our business is special in the fact that we cater to a specific niche and we are the first of its kind in Nigeria. We are a specialized team of female instructors that are in the business of teaching women and children how to be water safer. We also use a specialized swim lesson curriculum specific for teaching women and children. This also differentiates us in the market among other male-led swimming schools. Our affiliations with international swim associations also gave us a winning edge.

Tell us a little about your team

We are a very special group of swim instructors and administrators as we are all female, with just one male among us. The team is headed by Ms. Sopulu who is our Head of School and Business Manager. She is ably supported by Ms. Racheal and her team of Administrators. The Instructors are managed by the Lead Instructor and these instructors consist of Certified Instructors and Trainee Instructors. The Trainee Instructors are ladies who have an interest in being water safety instructors and are being trained for free and who in turn work with the company for 3 years. This has enabled us to pass on the skills more efficiently and train more female instructors quickly.

Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?

My entrepreneurial journey started as a means to an end really. I had resigned from my job as Head Of Sales in a Telco and while waiting for another job, I decided to start this business, after so much pressure from family and friends who wanted to learn how to swim ONLY from a female instructor. I haven’t looked back since then.
I didn’t come from an entrepreneurial background at all, I was a fully corporate focused lady and wanted to grow in my career as a Sales, Business Strategy & Development expert.