House of Tenposs, an idea and creative hub focused on developing products with both local relevance and international appeal, has officially commenced operations with an ambitious vision of taking Nigerian creativity to the global stage.
The creative enterprise comprises four standalone subsidiaries: Gush Book, Nutrika, Bill-Am, and Winca LAB, each contributing to the broader vision of developing locally owned ideas, products, technologies, and brands for global markets.
The organisation was formally declared open by the Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Barrister Festus Keyamo, who was represented at the event by Mrs Janet Oputa.
Keyamo commended the founder and Chief Executive Officer of House of Tenposs, Ojo Ayoola, for his ingenuity and commitment to innovation.
The minister also highlighted the Federal Government’s efforts to reform the aviation sector, particularly in the areas of safety, sustainability, maintenance, and space development, noting that the initiatives were aimed at strengthening the industry.
However, Keyamo stressed that government efforts could not replace the importance of private innovation and ownership.
“None of that can substitute what the inventor of the House of Tenposs is building,”
he said, while encouraging Ayoola to remain committed to his vision.
He also urged Nigerians to embrace ownership and entrepreneurship, noting that the country’s future would be shaped by those willing to take risks and create value.
Ownership as a pathway to global relevance
Speaking at the event, Ayoola said ownership was critical to Africa’s ambition of achieving global relevance.
According to him, controlling ideas, intellectual property, brands, production capacity, technology, and routes to market would enable Africans to move beyond being consumers of other people’s innovations to becoming creators of globally valuable solutions.
“When we own the idea, the intellectual property, the brand, the production capacity, the technology and the route to market, we stop being only users of what others create. We become creators of value that others can use,” he said.
Ayoola cited the growth of African technology companies such as Andela and Flutterwave as examples of how solutions developed from the continent could address local challenges while creating opportunities in global markets.
He noted that Andela started in Lagos with six engineers and developed a model that connected African talent with international opportunities, while Flutterwave created payment infrastructure from Africa for businesses operating across different markets.
“These stories matter because they show that African problems can produce African capability and African capability can travel,” he said.
From possibility to ownership
Ayoola explained that the central idea behind House of Tenposs was to move from possibility to ownership, describing the organisation’s journey as a three-stage process.
The first stage, he said, is independence, which involves developing sufficient intellectual, technical, and productive capacity to stand on one’s own.
The second is interdependence, which focuses on collaboration and transforming relationships from dependency into mutually beneficial exchanges.
The final stage is dominion, which, he clarified, is not about dominating others but about attaining a level of competence in solving important problems that people beyond Nigeria’s borders begin to depend on the solutions created locally.
Also speaking at the event, Titilayo Oshodi, Special Adviser on Climate Change and Circular Economy to the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, encouraged Nigerians to embrace the risks associated with ownership and entrepreneurship.
She also called for selfless service and collective commitment to building a greater Lagos and a stronger Nigeria.
The launch attracted government officials, entrepreneurs, innovators, and other distinguished guests, who gathered to witness the commencement of House of Tenposs’s operations and its ambition to position Nigerian creativity for a wider global audience.
