Mike Adenuga is not the loudest billionaire in Africa. He is something rarer and more consequential: a builder who proved that African capital could own, operate, and scale world-class infrastructure in industries long dominated by foreign players.
When Africa’s telecom sector was controlled almost entirely by international operators, Adenuga made a contrarian bet. He believed Africans deserved affordable communication built by Africans themselves. That belief gave rise to Globacom. The company didn’t just enter the market, it rewrote the rules. By introducing per-second billing, Glo made mobile calls dramatically cheaper and forced competitors across the continent to follow suit. Millions could suddenly afford to stay connected.
Adenuga’s ambition went beyond mobile phones. He personally financed the Glo-1 submarine cable, a direct fiber-optic link between West Africa and Europe. It was a bold, high-risk move that strengthened the region’s digital backbone, lowered data costs, and reduced dependence on foreign infrastructure.
In energy, he did the same. Through Conoil, Adenuga built one of Nigeria’s most successful indigenous oil companies, challenging the idea that capital-intensive sectors must remain foreign-controlled.
His influence is quiet but everywhere. From phone calls and internet access to fuel supply, Mike Adenuga’s enterprises power everyday life for millions, reshaping Africa’s economic confidence from the ground up.
