Group Chief Executive Officer of Oando Plc, Adewale Tinubu, inspired participants at the Intra-African Trade Fair 2025 during Dangote Day with a deeply personal account of his journey in Africa’s energy sector.
Sharing lessons from his early years, Tinubu recalled how he recovered an abandoned oil tanker in his twenties and went on to lead Oando Plc into becoming one of the continent’s largest energy companies. He said the experience reinforced the value of bold thinking, resilience, and confidence in Africa’s potential.
Tinubu further stressed the gaps in intra-African trade, the challenges of fragmented infrastructure, and the urgent need for African-owned energy solutions. He pointed to the role of institutions such as Afreximbank in building local champions that can meet global standards, noting Oando’s transition from downstream fuels to pipelines and upstream production as proof of what is possible when ambition meets execution.