In this breakfast session at the Nigeria-South Africa Chamber of Commerce Breakfast, Ayeni Adekunle, Founder/CEO of BlackHouse Media (BHM), shares the journey from building a local firm in Nigeria to scaling operations across the globe while working with MTN Nigeria. He reflects on the power of persistence, the importance of reinvesting in core capabilities, and his vision for African enterprises to compete on the world stage, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with established multinationals.
We’ve seen companies from South Africa expand and end up globalising, and we’ve seen the kind of positive impact they have made in Nigeria. Some of those companies now work with firms like mine, funded in Nigeria, but with a footprint expanding across the world.
My company is Black House Media (BHM). Most people ask me why “Black House.” It was actually adapted from the Yoruba expression, “Inu ikoko dudu ni eko funfun ti n jade,” which translates to “out of a black pot comes white pap”, meaning that good, valuable things can emerge from dark or unexpected places.
My vision is for local Nigerian, African, and American companies to do so well and be so empowered to build solutions that they can expand everywhere. I’ve travelled around the world. I have been to New York, Los Angeles, London, and everywhere; whenever I meet people, I realise we are not less smart. But we need to leverage the opportunities we have and prove the capability of our organisations.
Chambers of commerce like this are essential to help us solidify, scale, and take our businesses global. Before I retire, I want to see companies originating from here recognised on the S&P 500 and among the top global brands. I don’t want it to just be American or European or Chinese multinationals dominating; I want to see African companies standing shoulder-to-shoulder with them.
When we first started out in Nigeria, our initial phase was just trying to get an opportunity to work with one major international brand. We pitched for the MTN business. The CFO said something very important when he met us: even though we didn’t get the contract on that first pitch, it’s a revolving door, and you try again next time.
We were persistent. When a major brand finally gives you a chance, it grants you instant credibility. Other companies stop over-scrutinising or running endless due diligence on you because they see, “If this team is good enough for almighty MTN, then they are good enough for us.” That single account changed everything for us.
For me, success isn’t just about how much revenue you generate; it’s about impact and creating possibilities. Today, for many of the clients we work with, we don’t even have to submit formal RFPs (Requests for Proposals). We can afford to do shakara (be selective) because our track record speaks for itself.
While we started strictly in Nigeria, today we operate in Ghana, Tanzania, Kenya, London, and India.
I learned a crucial lesson from MTN, which is to reinvest in your core business. When you make money from communications, you shouldn’t immediately divert capital into buying land or real estate. You reinvest in your core capability. Our entire global expansion has been self-funded strictly from our revenue. We continually invest in technology, and we are now building artificial intelligence applications to power global communications companies.
I like to look into the future and imagine what is possible if we build 10 or 20 global companies out of Nigeria. Despite the challenges in Nigeria, South Africa, and across the continent, I choose to focus on the power of possibility. If we keep building and investing for the next 5, 10, or 20 years, the global landscape will look completely different.
Corporate & Communications Leader
To build on that story, MTN Nigeria is effectively a 100% Nigerian operation in its execution and impact. You saw it in the keynote speaker’s presentation: MTN Nigeria made deliberate, intentional steps to build a truly Nigerian enterprise.
What makes a company local? If you check all the organisational boxes, MTN Nigeria ticks them. The team works for MTN Nigeria, hiring almost 100% local talent.
You can directly trace the growth of Nigeria’s broader public relations, advertising, media, and public policy ecosystem to the growth and support of MTN in Nigeria. That depth of impact is undeniable.
Our job in communications is to provide strategic guidance to clients, partners, and stakeholders so they understand your value and you earn your fair share of voice. Whether you are in traditional media, online, radio, or TV, you hold influence.
The content economy is going to be massive. To operate successfully in this space going forward, you have to anticipate where the future is headed. It is an incredible story of growth, and this ecosystem exists today because of the foundation that was laid.
- Excerpts from Ayeni Adekunle’s session during the Nigeria-South Africa Chamber of Commerce August Breakfast Forum, commemorating MTN Nigeria’s 25th Anniversary, on Thursday, August 27, 2026.