Nigeria’s real estate market has rapidly evolved into one of the country’s most consequential economic sectors.
Following recent national accounts rebasing, the industry’s valuation climbed to approximately N41.3 trillion in 2024, placing it as the third‑largest contributor to GDP behind trade and crop production and ahead of traditionally dominant sectors such as telecommunications and crude petroleum.
This surge reflects an expanded formal property market, rising urbanisation and increased demand for residential, commercial and infrastructure assets.
Despite its scale, the country faces a persistent housing shortfall.
The Federal Government had disclosed that approximately 15.2 million housing units across Nigeria were structurally inadequate.
The assessment applied the Household Crowding Index, Adequate Housing Index, and Composite Index Methodology, using data from the NPC, NBS, CBN, and other housing institutions, aligned with World Bank standards.
Against this backdrop, more women are founding and leading influential real estate companies, steering landmark projects, and expanding businesses across Nigeria and beyond.
These leaders are redefining industry norms, demonstrating that expertise, vision, and operational excellence are not limited by gender.
This feature is not a ranking, but a spotlight on women who have founded or helm top real estate companies with at least a decade of market presence, credible track records, and offices or projects nationally or internationally.
In honor of Women’s Month, we showcase the achievements, impact, and leadership of these women, who are shaping Nigeria’s built environment and inspiring a new generation of entrepreneurs in the real estate sector.
Olajumoke Adenowo has been in the real estate and architecture sector for over 30 years. She is the founder of AD Consulting Limited, an architecture and design firm she established at the age of 25 in 1994.
- The firm provides architecture, master planning, and brand environment design services, and has delivered projects for multinational and institutional clients, including Coca-Cola, L’Oréal, Stanbic IBTC, Guaranty Trust Bank, and Access Bank, as well as various government entities.
- The firm has completed more than 100 projects across sectors, including commercial, residential, healthcare, and mixed-use developments.
She began her career as an assistant architect at Towry Coker Associates and later worked at Femi Majekodunmi Associates, where she contributed to major projects, including the Federal Ministry of Finance complex in Abuja.
Adenowo has more than three decades of professional experience in architecture and design.
Her work has been associated with a design philosophy she describes as “NeoHeritage Architecture,” which integrates African cultural heritage with contemporary design principles.
She has also held roles outside architectural practice, including serving as a board member at Flutterwave from 2024 to 2026 and as an academic laureate at the Technical University of Munich in 2019, where she was a guest scientist in architecture theory and history.
Adenowo has completed executive education programs at Yale School of Management (2016) and Harvard Kennedy School (2019), and has also attended the Lagos Business School and IESE Business School.
