Meet the Girls Who Built Something From Nothing

It’s one thing to dream about starting something new, it’s another to actually take the bold step and build it from scratch. Across Nigeria, a new generation of women is doing just that, turning ideas into companies, movements, and platforms that have shaped lives. These women didn’t begin with endless resources or connections; they began with grit, determination, and a belief that they could make things work.

Here are five young Nigerian women who prove that big things start from small places.

In 2016, Odunayo Eweniyi teamed up with a few friends —Somto Ifezue and Joshua Chibueze to solve a problem every young person could relate to: saving money. The traditional way of keeping money aside was unreliable, and banks didn’t always make it easy for students or fresh graduates. That was how Piggybank.ng was born, later rebranded as PiggyVest.

Odunayo’s background in computer engineering gave her the technical edge she needed, but what truly stood out was her persistence. With just an idea and a small team, she began convincing Nigerians to trust an app with their hard-earned money. Today, PiggyVest is one of Nigeria’s most trusted savings and investment platforms, with millions of users and billions of naira saved. 

One of her inspirational quotes is: "Embrace failure and be ready for it: it will happen at some point, so it just depends on what you do with it."

Beyond PiggyVest, Odunayo co-founded FirstCheck Africa, a fund that invests in women-led start-ups, making her one of the most influential female founders in African tech. 

When Damilola Odufuwa’s name comes up, it’s often attached to two very different worlds: global tech and activism. Before co-founding the Feminist Coalition in 2020, she had already made a mark working at companies like Bloomberg, MTV, CNN, and later leading crypto communications at Binance Africa. According to her, she initially didn’t plan to delve into tech, ‘I didn’t plan to work in tech, but as soon as I realised the impact crypto and blockchain technology can have on women’s rights and freedom, I was sold.”

In October 2020, when the EndSARS protests erupted, Damilola and a group of young women created the Feminist Coalition to support protesters, manage donations, and provide food, medical care, and legal aid. They started with almost nothing, just conviction and digital skills, but quickly became a backbone of the movement.

Not everyone gets to learn coding at an early age, but Abisoye Ajayi-Akinfolarin wanted to change that for the girls who came after her. In 2012, she founded Pearls Africa Foundation, a non-profit focused on empowering young girls through technology. One of its key projects, GirlsCoding, introduces girls from underserved communities to computer programming, helping them see that they can build apps and create solutions to real problems.

Her initiative has since trained hundreds of girls, some of whom have gone on to build projects tackling issues like female genital mutilation and child marriage. In 2018, she was honoured as one of CNN’s Top 10 Heroes, a global recognition for the work she started from scratch in Nigeria.

Growing up, Oluwatosin Olaseinde noticed a gap that almost everyone around her faced: financial education. People worked hard but didn’t always know how to save, invest, or grow wealth. After working in finance and auditing for years, Tosin decided to do something about it.

In 2018, she founded Money Africa, a financial literacy platform that breaks down complex money matters into simple lessons for Africans. Starting with Instagram posts and small online classes, Tosin gradually built a community of thousands of people learning how to budget, invest, and plan for the future.

Money Africa has since expanded into a subscription-based learning platform, and Tosin also launched Ladda, an investment app that helps people start investing with small amounts. She’s shown that teaching people about money doesn’t have to be intimidating. By starting small and growing steadily, she has built one of Africa’s most trusted financial education brands.

Design is everywhere, from the apps we use to the ads we see, but for a long time, it wasn’t an industry many Nigerian women saw themselves in. That’s why in 2016, Bolanle Banwo started The Female Designer Movement, an initiative to help women learn design skills and find a place in the creative industry.

Bolanle, a brand identity designer herself, began by training small groups of women in graphic design. Her aim was simple: give women skills that could help them earn an income and express themselves creatively. What started as a small idea has now impacted thousands of women across Nigeria and beyond.

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Asisat Oshoala’s journey started on the dusty football fields of Ikorodu, Lagos. Like many Nigerian girls, football was just a hobby, except she wanted more. Her parents weren’t convinced at first, but Asisat kept playing, training, and proving herself on the pitch.

In 2009, her talent began to shine at a professional level when she joined Nigerian clubs and quickly became noticed for her speed and goal-scoring skills. By 2014, she was already a global name after leading Nigeria to victory at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, where she won both the Golden Boot and Golden Ball awards.

Her career has since taken her across continents, from Liverpool and Arsenal in England to her current club, FC Barcelona Femení, where she’s won multiple UEFA Women’s Champions League titles. She has also been named African Women’s Footballer of the Year more times than any other player.

Fashion was always in Veekee James’ blood. Growing up in Ajegunle, Lagos, she learned to sew from her mother and began making clothes for people around her. With no luxury fashion education or international connections, she relied on her raw talent and determination.

By 2019, she started making a name for herself in the Nigerian fashion industry. Her designs stood out for their structure, elegance, and creativity, quickly earning her a loyal following on Instagram. What began as a small hustle soon grew into a fashion powerhouse, with Veekee dressing celebrities, brides, and high-profile clients.

Her label, Veekee James, has become one of Nigeria’s most talked-about fashion brands, recognised not just locally but internationally. 

Before the world knew her voice, Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, was working a regular 9–5 job in Lagos. Like many young graduates, music was more of a side passion than a full-time career. But deep down, she knew her voice was different, and she wanted to give it a real chance.

In 2018, Tems left her job and began recording songs from her bedroom, teaching herself production and uploading her music online. That same year, she released “Mr Rebel,” a raw and soulful track that announced her presence. She was independent, unsigned, and figuring things out on her own.

Her real breakthrough came in 2019 with “Try Me,” which quickly spread among young Nigerians hungry for a new sound. With no big label backing, Tems was building her career one song at a time, relying on talent and sheer determination.

Everything changed in 2020 when she was featured on Wizkid’s “Essence,” a track that went global and put her on the map. Since then, she’s collaborated with some of the biggest names in music, from Drake to Beyoncé. In 2023, she won a Grammy Award for her contribution to Future’s “Wait For U,” making history as one of the few Nigerian women to achieve that honour.

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These five women remind us that you don’t need to start with wealth, power, or perfect connections to build something meaningful. They began with ideas, some scribbled down in notebooks, some born out of frustration with existing systems, and they turned them into organisations and platforms that continue to inspire.

From fintech to activism, coding to design, football and music, they show that Nigerian women are shaping industries and communities in ways that ripple far beyond borders.

For young people looking for inspiration, these stories are proof that starting small is not a limitation. With persistence and vision, you can build something from nothing,  just like they did.