Encomium
Femi Otedola, chairman of First HoldCo, has emerged 2nd place winner at the 2026 BCA African Business Book of the Year awards for his memoir, ‘Making It Big: Lessons from a Life in Business’.
The award, organised by the Business Council for Africa (BCA) in partnership with the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), African Business magazine and BrandComms, was announced at a ceremony held on Friday.
Otedola’s book, which was launched on August 18, 2025, and became a bestseller on Amazon within 24 hours, was one of nine titles shortlisted for the prize this year.
Coming second, the Nigerian billionaire received a cash prize of $5,000.
Reacting to the honour, Otedola thanked the organisers of the award, saying the recognition was humbling.
“Thank you to the BCA African Business Book of the Year team for this generous recognition,” he said.
“Making It Big was written to tell the truth about the journey — the risks, the setbacks, the resilience, and the leadership required to build a business, especially in Africa.
Otedola said he was “humbled by this honour, and I extend my warm congratulations to the other winners”.
“I am grateful that the book is resonating with readers and entrepreneurs across the continent,” he said.
“I am hopeful that it will inspire entrepreneurs to keep building and giving back.”
The BCA African Business Book of the Year award, now in its fourth year, celebrates the most compelling business writing examining Africa’s economic landscape.
First prize carries a $10,000 cash award, with $5,000 for the runner-up and $2,500 for third place.
The judging panel included Arnold Ekpe, BCA chairman and chair of the judging committee; Arunma Oteh, former director-general of the Securities and Exchange Commission; Chris Ogbechie, former dean of Lagos Business School; Moky Makura, chief executive of AfricaNoFilter; Terhas Berhe, managing director and founder of Brand Communications; Omar Ben Yedder, publisher of African Business and New African magazine; and Anver Versi, editor of New African and African Banker.
Otedola’s memoir traces his journey from his early ambitions in business before he was 10, to making his first billion at the age of 41, losing it, and rebuilding it.
The book covers his early career in the downstream petroleum sector through Zenon Petroleum and Gas, his acquisition and transformation of African Petroleum into Forte Oil, his pivot into power generation through Geregu Power, and his eventual arrival as chairman of First HoldCo, the parent company of Nigeria’s oldest bank.
This is not the first honour for the book, as it won the Business Book Gold medal at the 2026 Axiom Business Book Awards, an award widely regarded as a top critical benchmark for business books in the United States, in April.
– Culled from thecable.ng
