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In recent years, a growing number of business leaders across Africa are openly and unapologetically infusing their Christian faith with their entrepreneurial ambitions. Specifically in Nigeria, several business leaders view their business career as a divine calling and a mission to empower people’s minds. These Christian business leaders often refer to their businesses as "Marketplace Ministry” or “Kingdom Business”. They are no longer content with the status quo, where people just attend church services; they are vigorously analysing figures and running firms. They are using the Bible as a knowledge-filled vault that supplies them with scriptural principles to guide and direct their decisions, business strategies, objectives, visions, and goals. RELATED: 8 Nigerian universities producing the highest number of tech founders For these sets of Christian entrepreneurs, business activities extend beyond making money and solving problems; it's about fulfilling a mission to serve a purpose. Here are five Christian entrepreneurs who stand out for their interweaving of faith and finance. 1. Cosmas Maduka Maduka is a well-known Nigerian Christian billionaire, evangelist, businessman, and philanthropist. He’s the founder, president, and chairman of Coscharis Group (a prominent auto dealer). His entrepreneurial journey began at the age of six, just two years after his father's passing. Due to the ordeal, he had to drop out of primary school and started hawking Akara (bean cake) to support his mother. The evangelist kick-started his first auto-parts business at the age of 17. As an apprentice, he was unfairly dismissed over a N200 dispute by his uncle, from whom he had learnt the automobile business Cosave was a spare parts company that he co-founded with his friend Dave, but unfortunately failed. Undefeated, he founded Coscharis Motor in 1977. According to him, the name was coined from his own name and that of his wife, Charity, whom he married at the age of 21. He started the automobile spare parts business with a capital of just N300. In 1982, Maduka's business breakthrough came when the Nigerian government granted 10 import licenses to motor companies, and Coscharis was selected. Today, Coscharis Group is a conglomerate with a net worth of $500 million, comprising several subsidiaries across various sectors, including Manufacturing, ICT, Petrochemical, Automotive care and Components, Automobile Sales and Services, Agriculture, and agro-allied businesses. The company is a leading distributor of several luxury car brands, including Range Rover, Ford, and Jaguar. Maduka, a frequent preacher of the gospel, sees his business success as a platform for his faith. When given an opportunity to speak at conferences and seminars, he emphasises the importance of integrity and God in business. In March 2025, he received a national award for business leadership, which solidified his dual role as faith-driven entrepreneur and industrialist. RELATED: Young, smart and getting it - Abuja entrepreneurs whose stories motivate 2. Chizoba Esther Christian Chizoba Christian is an ex-beauty queen who wears many hats, including those of a lover of God, writer, speaker, publisher, and entrepreneur. She is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Daystar4Ps Inc., one of Africa’s largest publishing, media & printing businesses based in Lagos, Nigeria. She uses publishing and media to amplify Christian voices and entrepreneurial ideas. She uniquely blends media, faith, and business. Christian says that her upbringing in the church shaped and guided her view of business, adding that influence must be used wisely, and profit must align with purpose. RELATED: Meet Forbes’ Top 5 Black Billionaires of 2025 3. Olatayo Ajiboye Ajiboye is a serial entrepreneur, Chairman of Talentcity International Limited, and the founder of Billionaire Christian Movement. His journey to success wasn’t a rosy one, but rather a rough and transformative one. According to him, in 2010, while living in an uncompleted building and feeling downcast, a friend invited him to the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in Phase 3, Kubwa,Abuja, and he then became a regular churchgoer. The defining moment in his life happened on November 11, 2011, when he attended a programme, "A Day Out with Daddy GO". At the programme, he sowed the last money he had, after which it led to a divine visitation. He had a dream in which someone told him he would build a city without poverty, and from there, he gained inspiration for a business idea. Following the divine visitation, Ajiboye founded the Billionaire Christian Movement, an initiative he describes as a divine mandate to raise “billionaire Christians” who will build and grow businesses grounded in biblical financial principles. His favourite quote is: Your business isn’t just yours, it’s part of a larger mission. RELATED: Top 10 most influential tech entrepreneurs in Nigeria - only 1 woman is on this list 4. Stephen Akintayo Akintayo is another of Nigeria’s most prominent Christian entrepreneurs, who is also an author merging faith with enterprise. Despite losing his father at a young age and his mother selling firewood to make ends meet, he remained unbroken. His story of resilience started with selling books door-to-door, which led him to become one of Nigeria’s leading real estate developers. Today, he is the founder and Chairman of Gtext Holdings, a global conglomerate with interests in real estate, agriculture, fintech, renewable energy, and digital marketing, headquartered in Lagos with offices in the UK, Dubai, and the US. Akintayo describes himself as an “Apostle in the Marketplace”, saying he received a divine calling to use entrepreneurship as a tool to empower Christians and build wealth for kingdom advancement. Beyond being Nigeria’s real estate tycoon, he is also a philanthropist. In 2018, he founded the Stephen Akintayo Foundation, which empowered over 10,000 entrepreneurs through business grants, mentorship, and training. Additionally, he founded Gtext Academy, a platform that provides courses in real estate investment, digital marketing, and financial literacy. In his own words, My mission is not just to build houses, but to build people, to raise a generation of Christians who can fund the gospel through enterprise. Today, Akintayo is a symbol of faith-driven entrepreneurship, inspiring thousands of young entrepreneurs across Africa. He joins the list of people who prove that business success and godly purpose can coexist. RELATED: Here's how Nigerian entrepreneurs can access international markets 5. Ibukun Awosika Awosika is a powerhouse who has broken career barriers in male-dominated fields. She is also one of Nigeria’s most respected business leaders and an outspoken advocate for faith-driven leadership. Speaking about breaking career barriers, she was the first female Chairman of First Bank of Nigeria, a position she held from 2015 to 2022. However, she was removed from her position by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in April 2021, along with other directors. Nevertheless, she found her true calling in entrepreneurship. She is the founder and CEO of The Chair Centre Group, a leading furniture manufacturing company in Nigeria. As a Christian speaker, author, and mentor, Awosika often says, “Your business is your pulpit,” a phrase that encapsulates her conviction that Christians are called to embody God’s values in every sphere of life, including the marketplace. For her, running a business is not just about profit, but about integrity, service, and positive impact. She also co-founded the Christian Leadership Institute (CLI), an institute whose aim is to raise value-driven leaders who reflect Christ in their professional lives. Awosika continues to inspire a new generation of Christian entrepreneurs to see their careers not just as a means of income, but as a ministry platform. RELATED: How a thriving young Nigerian entrepreneur is using waste to earn a living and save the environment Blend Of Faith and Finance: Why Does This Matter? These entrepreneurs have demonstrated that business and faith can work in harmony. Most young Nigerians believe that the priority of every business should be profit, but these individuals are changing the narrative. They are not downplaying the importance of profit; they have shown that, alongside making money, good values, faith principles, the need to help society, and fulfilling one's purpose are also important. These Christian entrepreneurs are focused on helping young people, investing in them, and offering mentoring and training, rather than just selling products. Their companies also reflect the ethics, honesty, and leadership that serve others, rooted in their Christian faith. They are literal heroes of “Jack of all trades”, active in both business and church, which shows that faith is a part of business, not separate from it. Their businesses are not just about profit, but about making a positive impact on society, something we can all be proud of and feel connected to. Faith and finance don't have to be opposite. These five entrepreneurs show how belief fuels action, purpose drives growth, and business becomes a platform to serve others. Nigerian Gen Zs are interested in entrepreneurship, and the portrayal of the Christian business leaders who are grounded in strong values, bold ambitions, and faith could inspire the next big wave of African innovation. RELATED: Measures business owners can adopt to prevent looting during social unrests
