Nigerian businessman and Chairman of First HoldCo, Femi Otedola, has earned runner-up honours at the 2026 BCA African Business Book of the Year Awards for his memoir, Making It Big: Lessons from a Life in Business.
Gatekeepers News reports that 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 during a ceremony in London on Friday. Otedola’s memoir was one of nine books shortlisted for this year’s competition and secured second place, earning a $5,000 cash prize.
Reacting to the recognition, Otedola described the award as humbling, saying the book was written to present an honest account of his entrepreneurial journey, including the risks, setbacks, resilience and leadership required to build successful businesses in Africa. He added that he hopes the memoir will continue to inspire entrepreneurs across the continent.
Published in August 2025, Making It Big chronicles Otedola’s rise from his early business ambitions to becoming a billionaire, the financial setbacks he experienced, and his eventual comeback. The memoir also explores his ventures in the oil and gas, power and banking sectors, including Zenon Petroleum, Forte Oil, Geregu Power and First HoldCo.
The BCA African Business Book of the Year Award recognises outstanding books that examine Africa’s business environment and economic development.
This latest honour adds to the memoir’s growing list of accolades after it won the Business Book Gold Medal at the 2026 Axiom Business Book Awards in the United States earlier this year.
