From the corporate corridors of Amazon and Walmart to the fast-evolving world of African travel technology, Adebayo Adedeji has built a reputation for bold thinking and disciplined execution. In this conversation, the Group CEO of Wakanow reflects on leadership, entrepreneurship, innovation, and the future of travel in Africa.
For readers encountering you for the first time, who was the young Bayo Adedeji?
I grew up in Lagos in what I would describe as a “privileged humble” environment. We were not wealthy, but we had stability, discipline, and strong values. My father passed away when I was just two years old, so my mother raised six children largely on her own. She believed fiercely in education and sacrificed tremendously to give us access to the best schools she could afford.
Later, at Obafemi Awolowo University, I witnessed a very different Nigeria. I still remember when school fees increased from ₦90 to ₦200 and students protested for almost a year. It reflected how much people valued public education at the time.
Did growing up without a father shape your ambition?
Very much so. I often say challenges shape people more than comfort does. My father had already built businesses and properties before he died at 39. Sometimes I think that if he had lived, perhaps I would have inherited comfort rather than hunger.
Adversity gave me drive. It forced me to discover resilience early and taught me how to navigate uncertainty. Looking back, I see every difficult moment as preparation.
Your first major entrepreneurial success came with Dundu Nation. What inspired it?
Dundu Nation started while I was still a Senior Finance Manager at Amazon. It was essentially a fried yam and plantain business, but we approached it with the mindset of scale from day one. We eventually expanded to 25 locations across Lagos and were processing nearly a thousand orders daily at one point.
The biggest challenge was logistics. Lagos infrastructure at the time made delivery extremely difficult. We dealt with accidents constantly and operational inefficiencies almost every day. Eventually, we shut down all physical outlets and transitioned into a cloud-kitchen model, which surprisingly made the business far more profitable.
Today, Dundu Nation generates over a billion naira annually, and that operational experience became foundational for many of our later ventures.
What did the Nigerian marketplace teach you after working inside Fortune 500 companies?
Nigeria taught me adaptability. You cannot simply import a successful foreign model and expect it to work here. You must understand local realities deeply.
In food service, for instance, many successful operators today are really logistics companies disguised as food companies. Delivery systems matter as much as the food itself.
Timing also matters. Sometimes entrepreneurs fail not because the idea is wrong, but because the market is not yet ready. Infrastructure, technology, and consumer behaviour all have to mature together.
At a time when many Nigerians were leaving the country, you returned from America to lead Wakanow. Why?
It was an instinctive decision. Someone once told me in America, “You probably have a higher chance of becoming exceptionally successful in Nigeria than you do here.” That statement stayed with me.
At the time, I had built a successful corporate career. I had worked with Walmart, PetSmart, and Amazon, where I managed financial operations tied to billions of dollars in revenue. But when the opportunity at Wakanow emerged, I saw something compelling.
I visited Nigeria in 2019 to evaluate the company and found a business struggling operationally and financially. Yet I also saw enormous potential. The founders had already created something meaningful. I often say they laid the foundation, and my role was to refine and scale it.
By the end of my first year as CEO, Wakanow had returned to profitability. Today, we have expanded from operations in three countries to more than 30 worldwide.
How exactly did you reposition Wakanow?
The first thing we introduced was operational discipline. We moved away from the “growth at all costs” mentality and focused instead on profitability, efficiency, and customer retention.
My years at Amazon shaped that thinking profoundly. Everything became data-driven. Every booking, customer interaction, and operational process had to be measurable and accountable.
We also rebuilt trust internally. Salaries became consistent, bonuses returned, and the culture shifted toward performance and structure.
Most importantly, we focused obsessively on the customer…
