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Meet Amb. Razaq Juwon Lawal, Entrepreneur And Founder Of Africent Group

Razaq Juwon Lawal

Today, Entrepreneurs.ng will be putting the spotlight on Razaq Juwon Lawal.

Biography Of Razaq Juwon Lawal

Razaq Juwon Lawal is a Nigerian born businessman and portfolio entrepreneur who is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Africent group.

Start Your Business in 30 Days Even If You Don't Have An Idea
Start Your Business in 30 Days Even If You Don’t Have An Idea

The Africent group is a conglomerate with global reach, headquartered in Logistics City Dubai World Central, UAE; with operations in West Africa, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. It boasts of multi-industry subsidiaries namely, Oillet Services, S8 Contractors and S8 Contractors UK Ltd., Rapiwallet and KreekAfrica; specializing in Agro-processing and food products, Oil and Gas and Marine Logistics services, e-Commerce, and Information Technology services respectively. 

Outside of his business achievements, he is an official member of the Forbes Business Council; and was also elected a UN Eminent Peace Ambassador for the Year 2020. 

Razaq Juwon Lawal is an indigene of Kogi State, Nigeria; but grew up in the nation’s economic powerhouse, Lagos State. He holds both a B.Sc in Business Administration, and an MBA in Business Administration and Management from Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State.

Upon completion of his undergraduate and graduate degrees, Razaq delved into palm oil research, to honor the memory of his deceased father who introduced a young Razaq to business managing the older Lawal’s palm oil extraction trade. Under his father’s careful tutelage and mentorship, Razaq’s exposure to the world of commerce piqued a young boy’s business acumen.

His late father’s dreams materialized into reality when at 23 years, Razaq made his first million naira producing and selling palm oil. It was therefore not a surprise when Razaq’s post-graduate palm oil research and subsequent success, led him further into the Agriculture, Oil and Gas and Marine Logistics fields, pioneering his entry into the world of entrepreneurship.

The Journey- Humble Beginnings To Big Business

Continuing in this entrepreneurial spirit, Razaq Juwon Lawal began consulting in oil marketing and trading in 2005; and in 2007 he established Stevepel Energy Resources Limited, an oil and gas outfit. Having been successful in this venture, he expanded his reach into marine logistics services in 2009. Where he founded S. T. & L. Bunkers Ltd; which later transformed into ABD Fuels Plc. This firm specialized in bunkering, along with marketing and supplying marine fuels to ships in port and at sea along the coast of West Africa.

Additionally, ABD Fuels began producing lubricants for automotive and industrial use in 2010. Its stellar reputation within the industry was further cemented when it became a corporate member of the International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA). ABD Fuels has since metamorphosed into S8 Contractors.This was the harbinger company of Africent Group, established in 2017 and headed by Lawal; a collection of companies with diversified interests in multiple industries. 

Razaq Lawal is a proponent of lifelong learning, and leverages both networking and education to continue to fuel his personal entrepreneurial development. His approach to this is two-fold, by tapping into local and global entrepreneurship networks, coupled with continuing studies in his various business fields. 

He attends and participates in numerous entrepreneurship conferences and events worldwide. Notable amongst these is the International Petroleum Week (IP) Week; a key event in the oil and gas industry where senior executives from all over the world gather in London for a round-table trade discourse; to share ideas, debate issues and forge new partnerships. 

He was also an attendee of the third annual Africa Forum- an international landmark event of African leaders, business experts and entrepreneurs aimed at promoting greater economic integration through increased investment flows into Africa. Hosted in the Egyptian city Sharm El-Sheikh, it was held under the auspices of Egypt’s President H.E. Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. This edition held in 2018 was a landmark one in the sense that it preceded Egypt’s upcoming Presidency of the African Union in 2019. 

Razaq is also a staunch believer in the power of education; not only to uplift oneself, but the community and society as a whole. For this reason, he has pursued executive education programs such as Harvard Business School’s Agribusiness Seminar (AGB), Colombia Business School’s Certificate in Entrepreneurship Program, amongst others. 

See Also: 35 Booming business ideas and step-by-step guides to start them. A strategic and financial breakdown of the most lucrative businesses in Nigeria.

About Africent Group

Africent Group is proudly African; birthed out of an ambition to improve the quality of life of our people and society. Its momentum thus stems from this Africa-centeredness; and a desire to create new opportunities, look beyond conventional boundaries and embrace progress through innovation, all the while using business as a means to connect Africa to the rest of the world. This overarching goal is evident in the diverse nature of its businesses.

S8 Contractors Operations and S8 Contractors UK Ltd., offer consulting and support services which aim to improve the marketing and strategic capacities of Oil and Gas companies; specifically, in the areas of special sea transportation support services, oil and ores brokerages services, vessel chattering and management.

Go from idea to starting your business in 30 days
Go from idea to starting your business in 30 days

It also offers bunker training for oil traders at various levels, from entry-level trainee traders to traders and senior traders. In addition, it serves the Marine Logistics industry by providing services including but not limited to, marine fuels brokerages as well as barge/vessels chartering and brokerages. 

The Agribusiness arm of the parent company consists of two businesses; Oillet Services Ltd. and Cropfy Ltd. The former specializes in food processing and manufacturing. With a focus on palm kernel and soya beans processing, and livestock feed production. Palm kernel nuts are extracted for crude palm kernel oil with palm kernel cake yielded as a byproduct; whereas soya beans are also extracted for soya bean oil and soya meal. 

The latter, Cropfy Ltd., is a wholesale and retail online store for the brand’s own food and beverage product line. It also doubles as a delivery services provider, offering click and request custom, convenient, delivery services to customers. Cropfy engages in Crop Commodities Trading as well; based on competitive research analysis and forecasts to develop great trading strategies. 

 Africa’s future is digital. People are choosing online solutions for almost everything these days, especially banking and finance services. Rapiwallet, is an electronic wallet app that allows users to connect all their e-payment methods such as bank cards, credit cards, bank account, and mobile money into a single smart card called “Rapicard”.

With Rapiwallet you can manage all your finances in one place, transfer money, pay bills, buy insurance packages and partake in loyalty programs. Rapiwallet operates in the United Kingdom as MyAfricent Uk Ltd., and will be present in South Africa, Ghana and Nigeria also. 

Lastly, KreekAfrica, headquartered in Mauritius with offices in Ghana and Nigeria, is a community employment portal designed for Africa. It seeks to provide people a better, more localized way to showcase their services; and bridges the labor gap to connect employers and employees by offering them a uniform way of selling employment opportunities and services online.

Employers (clients) can look for the right professionals who meet their needs by posting their requirements. Professionals (freelancers/experts) in turn respond directly to Employers (clients) by submitting proposals detailing their skillset, work experience etc.

Hence, it is an effective means for both Employers (clients) and Professionals (freelancers/experts) to scout available options on the labor market; and only select opportunities that are the right fit. KreekAfrica is the future of work; it is cost-effective with multiple budget options, provides a central space for job-seekers to connect, and is a secure and safe user-friendly environment. 

Looking Ahead To The Future

2020 has been a tumultuous year across board. Yet true to his mantra “if the plan doesn’t work, change the plan but never the goal”, Razaq Juwon Lawal the ever-enthusiastic entrepreneur has not slowed down his tempo.  Despite the difficulties presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, he maintained his momentum and focused on his goals for the year. Not only did he launch KreekAfrica, he co-founded Rapiwallet, and completed a new a state-of-the-art multipurpose factory facility for Oillet services. 

Although his objective for Africent group has evolved, his vision remains to establish a homegrown African Multinational Enterprise (AMNE). Which will have subsidiaries in the Oil and Gas, Marine Logistics, Technology and Agribusiness spaces; run by multidisciplinary teams united in their common values of innovation, result-orientedness, consumer focus and customer awareness. 

His efforts have not been in vain, as Lawal has been the recipient of business awards which have reaffirmed Africent group as a trailblazer. For instance, in 2012, ABD Fuels was the 2012 Young Achievers Awards winner of Marine Logistics Provider of the Year; whilst in 2013, he emerged winner of the Global Excellence Recognition Awards “Young Entrepreneur of the Year”.  

Lawal is quoted by The Sun newspaper as saying, “I strongly believe in my country and that things will surely get better. I am very passionate about this country, and I strongly believe in Nigeria and Africa at large. Economic growth is a challenge across the globe. Still, the country will get there one day looking at the growth of small and medium industries, sales, market hub; you will agree that thriving small businesses are the true reflection of a country’s economic well-being.”

Indeed, he is convinced of the myriad of possibilities Africa has to offer, and hopes that with time the continent can build trust and sustain relationships between businessmen and consumers here at home and beyond. 

Be like Razaq Juwon Lawal. Put yourself and your business on the world map today by telling your story. Contact us today to make your brand the preferred choice for our audience of entrepreneurs and business leaders.

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