Folorunsho was born in 1951 to the family of Chief L. A. Ogbara in Ikorodu, Lagos State. At age seven, she travelled to the United Kingdom to begin a four-year primary education . After returning to Nigeria, she attended Muslim High School Sagamu Ogun State, Nigeria.
Afterwards, she returned abroad for her secretarial studies at Pitman's Central College, London. She also studied fashion design at the American College, London and the Central School of Fashion.
Folorunsho married a lawyer, Modupe Alakija in November 1976. The couple reside in Lagos, Nigeria with their four sons and grandchildren. Her nephew is the Nigerian, DJ Xclusive. In a recent interview with newsmen, on her biggest regret, she said:
“I would have said I would have loved to have a female child. But I can’t say that now because God has been merciful. We have two female grandchildren already. They made up for it.”
Folorunsho started her career in 1974 as an executive secretary at Sijuade Enterprises, Lagos, Nigeria. She moved on to the former First National Bank of Chicago, now FinBank now acquired by FCMB (First City Monument Bank) where she worked for some years before establishing a tailoring company called Supreme Stitches. It rose to prominence and fame within a few years, and as Rose of Sharon House of Fashion, became a household name.
In May 1993, Folorunsho applied for the allocation of an oil prospecting license (OPL). The license to explore for oil on a 617,000-acre block—now referred to as OPL 216—was granted to Alakija's company, Famfa Limited. The block is located approximately 220 miles south east of Lagos and 70 miles offshore of Nigeria in the Agbami Field of the central Niger Delta.
Folorunso Alakija is a Nigerian businesswoman, one of the richest African women and also one of the richest black women in the world. In 2014 she temporarily unseated Oprah Winfrey as the richest woman of African descent in the world. She is a business tycoon involved in the fashion, oil and printing industries.
Alakija is ranked by Forbes as the richest woman in Nigeria with an estimated net worth of $2.1 billion. As of 2015, she is listed as the second most powerful woman in Africa after Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and the 87th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes.
Folorunsho has a foundation called the Rose of Sharon Foundation that helps widows and orphans by empowering them through scholarships and business grants.
Edited by: Endy Edeson
Photo News Editor: Endy Edeson
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FACEBOOK COMMENTS
Endy Edeson
You are right. Having the right resources, supports and manpower helps business grow faster
Olayemi Fathybaba
Nd wen Eva I here piple deliberating abt her day would say she av no educational background of Wat so ever plz sumone dat studied mostly in d offshore of d country Wat do u xpect 4rm such piple u xpect sumtin bigger 4rm dem so her being d richest woman in Nigeria nd in Africa it nt surprising luking at her background of wer she came 4rm. if I also av such opportunity 2study abroad lik odas my broda lik cirously I would b among d top richest men in Africa bcoz 4u going 2study in overseas is a plus 2sumones education it gives u d edge over odas on tymz of exposure, connection nd lot more so 4me all I learnt 4rm diz 1der woman is dat self employment is d best bcoz for u being an entrepreneur ur making it in life is guaranteed if such business is well maintained nd financed. Endy Edeson tankz 4diz gr8 information if nt 4diz I wouldn't even no dat our own Disk Joker, DJ exclusive as a family background relationship with dix woman
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🙆🙆Endy Edeson
Thanks Olayemi for reading. Sure, education and exposure goes a long way in the success of a person.