Nigerian Entrepreneur Turns Career Pivot Into Fast-Growing Safety Footwear Company

Lagos-based Yikodeen received funding from Aruwa Capital Management in 2025.

A delayed national service assignment prompted Nigerian entrepreneur Yinka Atunde to pivot from a planned career in technology to launch a safety footwear company, Yikodeen, which recently secured a $1.5 million investment to expand its operations across West Africa, according to Business Insider Africa.

Lagos-based Yikodeen received funding from Aruwa Capital Management in 2025. The investment will support the company’s growth as demand for locally manufactured industrial products in sectors including construction, manufacturing, oil, and gas increases.

Atunde, a computer science graduate of Babcock University, told the outlet that his career plans changed in 2015 after delays to Nigeria’s National Youth Service Corps program gave him time to reconsider his next steps.

“I literally had nothing going on, and I kept asking myself what I actually wanted to do with my life,” Atunde said.

Instead of pursuing graduate studies abroad or accepting a technology role, Atunde enrolled in footwear production courses in Italy and later gained experience working in Nigerian factories before launching Yikodeen in 2016.

The company initially produced about 20 pairs of shoes a day using refurbished equipment, the publication reports. Atunde said one of the company’s earliest challenges was convincing customers that Nigerian-made safety footwear could meet the quality standards of imported brands.

“We were spending heavily on testing and certification without knowing if it would even lead to orders. It was a long, uncertain process, but we just kept pushing.”

Yikodeen has since expanded its manufacturing capacity to approximately 500 pairs of safety footwear per day and now employs more than 150 workers.

The company supplies industrial footwear designed for local working conditions and serves clients across multiple sectors, including energy, construction, and manufacturing.

The investment reflects broader investor interest in African manufacturing companies as governments and businesses across the continent seek to strengthen local supply chains and reduce reliance on imports.