Olarenwaju and Kenechukwu: Footwear champions

For decades, Nigerians have turned to European, United States and Asian designs for their shoes.

But now, all that is fast changing, thanks to a generation of trendy and creative designers such as Arilomo Olarenwaju, chief executive officer of Arilane Limited, and Kenechukwu Chibuikem Okafor, CEO of Ezra Footwear.

Arilomo Olarenwaju

Arilomo Olarenwaju is the chief executive officer of Arilane Limited. Arilomo is an entrepreneur with vast experience in footwear industry.

The Law graduate of the University of Lagos was inspired to set-up Arilane Limited out of his desire to be financially independent and to provide solutions to challenges faced by students in terms of quality, size and designs of footwear.

His desire and passion prompted him to learn shoe- making at a very young age and, in 2013, as an undergraduate, he established Arilomo on campus with a view to producing shoes for students.

Arilomo started his business with N50, 000 in 2013 and the business is now worth more than N800, 000.

“The business has really gained so much ground from inception till date, all thanks to God,” he says.

The young entrepreneur says that he is targeting clients in corporate bodies, academic institutions and anyone that appreciates fashion and has a good taste for shoes.

When asked the biggest challenge the business faces, Arilomo says Nigerians’ high preference for imported shoes remains the biggest challenge confronting his business, noting that this has limited his market.

“The major challenge I am currently facing is access to the market. Nigerians prefer foreign footwear to locally produced ones. It is only those customers that have patronised our products before that are still patronising them, but some would not even buy because they are locally made,” Arilomo says.

“Finance is another major challenge confronting my business. I really want to expand because demand for our products is increasing daily, but finance is limiting our expansion plans for now.

“In an environment like Nigeria where funding is a huge challenge, we have a lot of great ideas but the funds to pursue them is lacking,” he adds.

The lawyer-turned-entrepreneur tells Start-Up Digest that his business currently employs six staff members who work mostly on contract basis.

When asked the advice he will give to other entrepreneurs, Arilomo says, “You have to define your goals as to why you are going into the business. You have to know the price that has to be paid to achieve this goal and you must be willing to pay the price.”

“You must be determined to stay undefeated when all hope seems to be lost. Always put God first,” he adds.

Kenechukwu Chibuikem Okafor

Kenechukwu Chibuikem Okafor is a Mechanical Engineering graduate of Landmark University, Ilorin, Kwara State. He is the founder and CEO of Ezra Footwear, a start-up shoe manufacturing business.

Kenechukwu was inspired to establish his business by his parents and his love for leather products.

The achievements of his parents motivated him on a daily basis and, in 2016, he decided to establish Ezra Footwear to realise his dream and prove that locally-made shoes can compete with imported ones. He is also the founder of Ezra farms.

He started his business with his entire savings. Fortunately, things have panned out well for him, as demand for his products grows by the day. He tells Start-Up Digest that he sources his raw materials from local markets across the country and also imports some.

“We source for most of our materials from local markets most times and also import from Indonesia,” the footwear maker says.

Kenechukwu is the current winner of the Entrepreneurs Organisation, Global Students Entrepreneurship Awards (EOGSEA) in Nigeria and he represented the country at the global finals in Germany.

Answering questions on the challenges facing his business, Kenechukwu says that rising cost of raw materials has remained the major issue, adding that prices of materials needed for production of footwear have doubled within the 18 months.

He says that this has increased his production cost with customers not wanting to pay more despite the rise in costs. He further states that his inability to meet with huge demand for his products is a big issue, calling for funds for expansion.

The young entrepreneur calls on the government to improve the ease of doing business in the country so that cost of production can decline and the country’s products will become more competitive.

Kenechukwu notes that the footwear industry has the potential to diversify the country’s economy away from oil and earn huge foreign exchange for Nigeria.

The young entrepreneur believes that the country has what it takes in terms of raw materials and the needed skills to become a footwear manufacturing hub in Africa.

When asked about his expansion plans, Ekenechukwu says, “I have scheduled a lot of expansion plans which I have already started working on through the help of my parents who have been supporting me from the beginning. Currently, I am making efforts to secure more machines for production and also expand the factory space.

“I also intend to start training other youths on footwear manufacturing. I am saving towards achieving all these within the shortest possible time,”  Ekenechukwu adds.

On his advice to younger entrepreneurs, he says, “My advice for other entrepreneurs out there is that we all go through bad days. I have been through a lot of bad times. What matters is not how hard you fell but how fast you rise.”

 Josephine Okojie