Keji Giwa is a self-proclaimed non-conformist and entrepreneur, whose childhood defiance has led him to founding successful ventures. Rooted in data-driven strategies, his latest venture, Giwa Gardens, set to open this yuletide season, promises not just a water park but an affordable escapade for every Nigerian. In an encounter with him,
Vanessa Obioha captures his tale of resilience, innovation, and relentless pursuit of creating a haven for all.
One only has to look at Keji Giwa’s Instagram post to get a glimpse of his personality. He calls himself a stubborn goat, a disruptor, a rebel, and any other word that fits into his non-conformist persona. This stubborn trait originated from childhood as he recalls on a rainy Sunday in Ikoyi. As the first child and only son of his parents, he always found himself doing things differently, fetching him the reproof ‘stubborn goat.’
However, Giwa’s stubbornness is far from mere defiance; it embodies conviction.
“I’ve come to the realisation it’s not stubbornness,” he asserts. “Although the word has stuck, it is having a conviction and believing in that conviction so much that the external noise does not affect the decision, goal or ambition.”
This conviction unfolds through a series of ingenious projects he has embarked on. From his GrantMyWish app, a mobile gifting app for friends, which competed alongside big tech companies like Microsoft in the 2012 eConsultancy Customer Innovation Awards in the U.K., to his tech incubator, Digital Bananas Technology (DBT), founded in 2012. What about his Career Insights, a digital product management platform he created in 2014 that has helped thousands of people in the U.K. grow their careers? His streak of ingenuity continues in Nigeria with his real estate ventures Shortlet Homes and Digital Landlords. Now, Giwa sets his sights on revolutionising Nigeria’s tourism and recreation sector with Giwa Gardens, a water park set to open in Lagos this December.
As we sit across from each other, Giwa, donned in a senator outfit, exudes the restlessness of a creative mind.
“I’m absolutely restless,” he admits. “I have lived in denial for quite a long time. Until you start to look within and realise that actually, it is very true what people who know you very well say about you.”
Giwa hails from a humble background. His father is the late M.A.T. Giwa, foremost for formulation of the dairy product, Three Crowns Milk. Giwa was born in the UK and is a graduate of computer science from Kingston University, U.K. and a professional member of the British Computer Society.
His projects, rooted in data and digitization, reflect a common thread – leveraging data for business growth. The Nigerian-British serial entrepreneur explains it this way.
“The biggest driver for business growth is data. It is the lifeblood of every business. lf I have 100 customers who are happy to spend say N30,000, and I realise that the average order value per person is 40,000, and they are mostly from Lagos State, then that informs my marketing decision to target those from Lagos and target people with affordability rate of N40,000, thereby increasing more revenue for me. That is how data drives growth in business.”
This data formula, he points out, works in every sector as long as it is a business that requires data.
“My ability to operate in different sectors is based on data leveraging,” he further adds. “Once you can count, it is data. You can gain a lot of insights to drive growth, to mitigate risk and to create a sustainable and profitable business. That applies to any industry.”
Giwa learnt a few lessons from his earliest ventures such as the GrantMyWish app which allowed people to collectively buy a gift for someone without breaking the bank. First, he realised that not all great ideas are good for business.
“It was a pretty innovative business where we learnt how to fail with a great idea. You can have a great idea, but how practical is it?”
Undeterred by the app’s failure, he learned to identify market gaps and create products focusing on sustainability and viability.
Giwa’s real estate ventures, Shortlet Homes and Digital Landlords, showcase this strategy’s success. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic that affected the hospitality sector, Giwa recognised the need for convenient short-lets and transformed the market.
“I decided to create the five-star luxury experience you will have in a hotel and put that in a short-let. And here is the value. Instead of taking one room in a hotel for N100,000 for a night, take a three-bedroom apartment for N85,000 and have all the amenities that you have in a hotel. And that was how the short-let market boomed.”
Giwa adopts the same strategy for Giwa Gardens, recognizing Nigerians’ preference for adventure at international recreation centres like Disneyland and water parks in cities such as Dubai or Paris.
“Do we have any of that in Nigeria? We have a few but not to the international standard that we expect. What if we built a world-class waterpark in Nigeria, in Lagos that has a population of 22 million people, approximately. Even if 10 per cent of those people come to the water park, that’s two million people a year. Even if the average order is N10,000 which is affordable to everyone, that is a heck of a lot of money. Is it value? Yes, because for them to go to that kind of a place outside of Nigeria as a family, they’ll be talking about nothing less than N6 million. And that’s even if they get a visa.
“So for a family of four coming to Giwa Gardens, let’s say N25,000 each to access the water park, that’s N100,000. They drive to the place because it’s within proximity, and they enjoy themselves for the day. And even when we build the vacation rooms, they can stay for a week or more. This is affordable escapism which is so needed not just for the high net worth individuals in Nigeria but all Nigerians.”
Located in the Lekki-Epe axis, about five minutes from Lagos Business School, the water park and accommodation sit on approximately 14 acres of land.
Giwa Gardens offers a world of adventures. From the aggressive River Congo which takes one on an adrenaline-filled water ride to the wave pool that replicates the beach waves. There is also the Kids Waterhouse, the pirate ships which come with water guns; jacuzzi baths for premium customers; a lighthouse, slides, mechanical dinosaurs that have real-life effects, ice cream and candy factories, and so much more. The waterpark is a meticulous combination of arts, architecture and history.
“We wanted it to be an experience that is unforgettable,” he says. “It was initially supposed to be a lazy river with a resort but we thought people would easily get bored.”
Abiding by international safety standards set by the Worldwide Waterpark Association, Giwa Gardens prioritises health and safety, with CCTV cameras, qualified nurses and emergency bus on site, lifeguards, and a fire alarm system.
Beyond entertainment, Giwa Gardens fuels local development as prices of land in that area have soared, and employs locals. Giwa believes that the water park will also bring about international tourism as more Nigerians in the diaspora return home for one activity or the other, including business.
Like his other real estate ventures, Giwa has come up with a plan to make individuals make money from the project through the Resellers Programme.
“What we did was to offer people to buy tickets on time from us at a cheaper rate and resell them at their own price on our website when we finally open. So when a visitor visits our website to buy tickets, the resellers’ price looks more affordable than ours,” says Giwa.
Giwa Gardens in a way is a legacy to his late father M.A.T. Giwa. It was his father, he says, that helped him secure the land when he wanted to return to Nigeria. “I grew up fighting my dad from day one. I didn’t understand a lot of things he was trying to teach me back then because I thought he was extremely harsh on me but now I thank God.”
Through a childhood activity of collecting nails during walks which he detested, his father taught him the importance of contributing positively to others’ well-being, a principle that has become an integral part of Giwa’s approach to business and life.
“We would place the nails in a box and he would ask me if I knew the significance of that activity. He told me that I had saved someone from having a nail accident. He was teaching me the essence of adding value in every day of my life. Add value, and look out for other people. Today, in business, I can’t think of doing anything without adding value. It is now ingrained in me.”
Giwa’s father died in 2019 on his way to the U.K. for Giwa’s DBT Awards which recognises and celebrates individuals who have done exceptionally well in their careers through his platform.
Describing his father as an exceptional man who valued family and prioritised education, Giwa reveals that his father has always wanted a place for family. Therefore, to preserve his legacy, a sculpture of his father backing his nephew is erected in Giwa Gardens. This he calls the Giwa Gardens Legacy.
“My father impacted many lives when he was alive and it is difficult to let his legacy go like that. The sculpture is very symbolic and represents the kind of man he was. Rarely do you see men back children in our culture, but my dad did, representing the kind of family values he had,” he says.
