Ayodeji Balogun
Ayodeji Balogun | |
|---|---|
 Balogun in 2021 | |
| Born | Ayodeji Olaleye Balogun 1983 (age 42–43) Lagos, Nigeria |
| Education | MBA, Lagos Business School. Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.), Mechanical Engineering , Lagos State University. |
| Occupations | Business Executive, Entrepreneur |
| Known for | Chief Executive Officer of AFEX |
| Spouse | Oluwakemi Balogun |
Ayodeji Balogun (born Ayodeji Olaleye Balogun in 1983) is a Nigerian entrepreneur, commodity trader and CEO of AFEX,[1] Nigeria's first private sector commodities exchange, and tech-enabled Agriculture Company.[2][3] He is a Board of Trustees of The Association of Security Exchange in Nigeria and serves on the board of Capital Market Development Fund.[4] At 13, he completed a business venture that would be valued at $4,000 in today’s world.[5]
Education
[edit]Balogun was born in Ijebu-ode, Ogun state, Nigeria where his father owned a plantation.[6][7] He holds a diploma in Heavy Equipment Engineering from Penn Foster University, Scranton and (B.Eng.) in Mechanical Engineering from the Lagos State University.[8] He furthered his education at Lagos Business School, where he earned an MBA and IESE Business School, Spain.[9]
Career
[edit]Balogun began his career as an analyst with Unilever Nigeria Plc and later became an associate at Doreo Partners where he contributed to the development of Nigeria’s Agriculture Transformation Plan in 2011. He was the Regional Director, Africa Exchange Holdings for West Africa and then became the Country Manager for AFEX Commodities Exchange Limited (AFEX) in July 2014.[10] He was appointed CEO of AFEX in December 2019. Balogun is referred to as “The Entrepreneur” by Tony Elumelu.[5]
AFEX opened new offices in Kenya in 2022 and in Uganda in January 2023.[11] The organisation prioritizes smallholder farmers and allows multiple participants to operate in the commodity market.[12]
Personal life
[edit]Balogun is married to physician Oluwakemi Balogun, and they have two children.[13]
References
[edit]- ↑ "AFEX deploys blockchain solutions to assist farmers access to finance and market". BiztechAfrica. Retrieved 2021-02-11.
- ↑ "AFEX launches Nigeria's first Exchange Traded Commodity platform". BusinessDay. Lagos, Nigeria. 2020-11-26. Retrieved 2021-02-11.
- ↑ Nwagbara, Chidinma (2020-03-18). "50,000 farmers to benefit from AFEX Commodities funding initiative". Nairametrics. Retrieved 2021-02-11.
- ↑ Alimi, Nurudeen. "Why I'm On A Mission To Make African Commodities Market More Accessible, Profitable — Ayodeji Balogun". Nigerian Tribune. Retrieved 2021-02-11.
- 1 2 Praise, Joshua. "On Track To Impact 1 Million Agropreneurs – Meet Ayodeji Balogun Of AFEX". Retrieved 2026-02-13.
- ↑ Admin. "Africa has capacity to solve world's food security problems – Balogun". The Guardian. Lagos, Nigeria. Retrieved 2021-02-11.
- ↑ AGENCY, LUCY GITHUGO, BIRD STORY (2023-06-22). "Meet the agricultural commodities trader building an African empire - The African Mirror". Retrieved 2026-02-13.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ↑ "Ayodeji Balogun: Trailblazing in a territory others find daunting". BusinessDay. Lagos, Nigeria. 2019-11-12. Retrieved 2021-02-11.
- ↑ "With Ayodeji Balogun – Define Your Future". Retrieved 2021-02-11.
- ↑ Admin, SAFIN (2019-07-30). "Partner in the spotlight: Ayodeji Balogun of AFEX Commodities Exchange Limited". SAFIN Network. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
- ↑ AGENCY, LUCY GITHUGO, BIRD STORY (2023-06-22). "Meet the agricultural commodities trader building an African empire - The African Mirror". Retrieved 2026-02-13.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ↑ Africa, B. I. (2024-07-10). "Digital network Africa founder's feature, Ayodeji Balogun of AFEX". Business Insider Africa. Retrieved 2026-02-13.
- ↑ "Ayodeji Balogun - THNK School of Creative Leadership". THNK. Retrieved 2021-02-11.