“I compete against myself.”
— Olajumoke Adenowo

She was barely a teenager when most people were still figuring out multiplication tables. But by 14, Olajumoke Adenowo was already enrolled at Obafemi Awolowo University, designing the future in bricks, breath, and belief. Today, she is no longer just one of Nigeria’s most successful architects. She is a blueprint for the African woman who dares to defy the mold, build with boldness, and lead with spirit.

Early Brilliance: From Campus Child to Architect Prodigy

Born on October 16, 1968, in Ibadan, Olajumoke Olufunmilola Adenowo was raised in the intellectually charged environment of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), where her father was a professor of history and her mother taught criminology. Immersed in academic excellence, she was surrounded by books, architecture, and bold ideas.

A formative trip to Paris and the Palace of Versailles awakened her to the transformative power of architecture. That spark never left.

Photo Credit: Pinterest

At just 14, she enrolled at OAU to study architecture—an academic prodigy in every sense. She graduated with first-class honors at 19, winning the Best Student Design Award. By 23, she had completed her Master’s in Architecture with distinction.

Her educational journey didn’t stop there. She went on to attend Lagos Business School’s Chief Executive Programme (2002), IESE Business School in Spain (2005), Yale School of Management (2016), and the Harvard Kennedy School (2019), continuously sharpening her intellectual and leadership capacity.

Launching AD Consulting at 25

After cutting her teeth at Towry Coker Associates and Femi Majekodunmi Associates, she contributed to the design of Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Finance at age 23, a remarkable feat in a male-dominated field.

In 1994, at age 25, she foundedAD Consulting, her own boutique architecture and interior design firm. Since then, AD Consulting has grown into one of Nigeria’s most respected firms, executing more than 114 projects, from commercial and institutional buildings to residential, health, and industrial complexes.

Her clientele includes top-tier organizations such as Coca‑Cola, L’Oréal, Access Bank, and Guaranty Trust Bank, positioning her as a powerful force in both corporate and creative circles.

NeoHeritage: Architecture with Identity

Olajumoke’s guiding philosophy is what she calls NeoHeritage Architecture—a style that fuses African traditions with modern forms. Her work resists the lazy mimicry of Western architecture. Instead, it seeks to root contemporary structures in African history, climate, symbols, and cultural expression.

NeoHeritage emphasizes:

• Passive cooling and open courtyards

• Local symbolism, like Yoruba crowns and woven patterns

• Sustainability through natural materials and light

• Storytelling through form, space, and rhythm

Her monograph, NeoHeritage: Defining Contemporary African Architecture, published by Rizzoli in 2023, is the first by a Black architect at the prestigious art and design house. It is more than a book—it’s a cultural statement.

Signature Projects

• The Tent Church, Calabar

Photo Credit: AD Consulting
A ventilated sanctuary designed for spiritual connection and environmental responsiveness. Its tent-like architecture combines metaphor and function in a truly African way.

Photo Credit: AD Comsulting

• Coca‑Cola Cafeteria, Lagos

Photo Credit: AD Consulting

A reinvention of corporate dining space that promotes both collaboration and reflection.

Photo Credit: AD Consulting

• Obafemi Awolowo University Senate Building

Photo Credit: AD Consulting

Built to commemorate the university’s 50th anniversary, the structure’s form pays tribute to the Ori Olokun crown, a revered symbol of Yoruba culture.

Photo Credit: AD consulting

Author, Educator, Speaker

Olajumoke is not only a practitioner—she’s also a theorist, educator, and global speaker.

• She has spoken at Harvard, Yale, MIT, Cambridge, the McKinsey Executive Platform, and the Global Women’s Forum.

• In 2019, she was appointed a Visiting Professor at the Technical University of Munich and honored as a Guest Scientist under the Bavarian Ministry of Education.

• Since 2011, she has hosted Voice of Change, a syndicated radio show and podcast focused on leadership, national transformation, and youth empowerment.

• She is the author of more than ten books, ranging from architectural theory to faith, finance, and female empowerment.

Beyond architecture, her books dive into themes of purpose, vision, faith, and personal transformation. Titles like Acts of the Holy Spirit, Designed for Marriage, and Tamar: Destiny Attained Against All Odds speak to her firm grounding in faith and her passion for empowering women, especially in the marketplace.

Her writing is less about giving advice and more about offering a blueprint for living boldly—as a builder, believer, and breaker of boundaries.

Some of her books include:

Photo Credit: Pinterest

• NeoHeritage: Defining Contemporary African Architecture

• Designed for Marriage

• Beyond My Dreams

• Acts of the Holy Spirit (Vol I & II)

• Ruth: Strategic Wisdom to Overcome the Impossible

• Tamar: Destiny Attained Against All Odds

• Rahab: Wisdom for a Quantum Change

• Appointment with Destiny

• Lifespring: The Mother's Prayer Manual

• The Mysterious Seed: Powerful Secrets of Financial Increase

• Contributor: Curating Transcultural Spaces: Perspectives on Colonial Conflicts in Museum Culture (Bloomsbury, 2024)

These books are not merely publications—they are blueprints for transformation, personal and societal. Through them, Adenowo’s voice echoes far beyond her buildings.

Entrepreneur and Philanthropist

In addition to founding AD Consulting, Olajumoke established Advantage Energy, an oil and gas services firm, and Advantage Property, a real estate investment vehicle.

But perhaps her most impactful venture is the Awesome Treasures Foundation, which she founded in 1999. A faith-based NGO recognized by the United Nations and United States Congress, it aims to raise 1,000 transformational leaders by 2030. The foundation works with women and youth across six continents, focusing on leadership, mentorship, and enterprise.

Board Service and Influence

She has served on several boards, including:

• Fountain Holdings Limited

• Purple Girl Foundation (Trustee)

• British School of Lomé (Board Member)

• Rebuild Lagos Trust Fund (Technical Committee)

• Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards (Jury Member)

• Vocational Training and Professional Development Academy

She is also affiliated with the Nigerian Institute of Architects, the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Vital Voices, the African Leadership Network, the Global Philanthropy Forum, and the African Philanthropy Forum.

Recognition and Awards

• Forbes Africa Entrepreneur of the Year (2020)

• Forbes 50 Most Powerful Women in Africa (2020 and 2023)

• United States Congress Recognition (2023)

• New African Woman in Business Award (2016)

• Royal Institute of British Architects: Inspirational Woman in Architecture (2018)

• International Alliance for Women World of Difference 100 Award

• Ekiti State Merit Award (2014)

• Obafemi Awolowo University Ambassador of Excellence (2018)

• Featured on the Wall of Fame, OAU (2021)

• Hall of Fame at the University of the West of England, Bristol

Personal Life

She is married to Olukorede Adenowo, a financial expert, and they have two sons. Balancing her family with her expansive professional life, she credits her faith as the foundation of her purpose and resilience.

Photo Credit: Google

Legacy in Motion

Olajumoke Adenowo is not just an architect. She is an intellectual force, a cultural curator, and a generational transformer. Her life’s work is about building—yes, buildings—but more so, building people, institutions, communities, and movements that will outlive her.

She stands at the intersection of Africa’s past and future, reminding the world that African brilliance does not need translation—it only needs platforms.

Her message to young Africans is simple but seismic:
Design your destiny. Build what matters. Lead with heritage.