... How the CEO of TwinsFaja Group has helped build a diversified business while balancing family, faith and a commitment to creating opportunities for others
Success in business is rarely the product of a single breakthrough. More often, it emerges from years of learning, difficult decisions, trusted partnerships and the willingness to recognise opportunities beyond familiar territory. For Chief Mrs Kemi Fajana, Chief Executive Officer of TwinsFaja Group, the journey has been one of steady development, shared ambition and the determination to build beyond humble beginnings.
Working alongside her husband, Chief Taiye Fajana, chairman of the group, she has been part of the development of an enterprise whose interests extend from building materials to retail, fashion and other sectors. Their story offers a perspective on business growth in Nigeria, where experience, relationships and the ability to adapt can make a significant difference.
FROM TRADING TO A GROWING ENTERPRISE
The foundations of TwinsFaja were laid through Taiye Fajana’s experience in the building-materials trade. He spent four years training under a dealer in Abule-Odu, Alimosho, Lagos, before establishing his own business on Abaranje Road in 1993.
An important moment in those early years came when his former employer helped him obtain 50 bags of cement and iron rods on credit. The assistance provided a practical starting point for the business, but its longer-term significance lay in the trust behind it. In a trade where relationships and reliability matter, such support can open doors for an aspiring entrepreneur.
Kemi was pursuing her own commercial interests at the time, selling baby products in Ikotun. As the family’s business developed, she became more involved in its operations, bringing her trading experience and understanding of consumer needs into the growing enterprise.
Their partnership became an important part of the business story. Building a company together requires more than a shared surname or ambition; it involves navigating responsibilities, managing resources and making decisions about the future. The incorporation of TwinsFaja Nigeria Limited in 2007 marked another stage in the formal development of the enterprise.
EXPANDING BEYOND BUILDING MATERIALS
TwinsFaja’s development reflects a willingness to look beyond its original market. Building materials remain central to its business, alongside interests in construction supplies, retail, supermarket operations and oil and gas.
Its retail offerings also include fabrics, adult clothing, children’s wear, baby apparel and other consumer products. This range gives the group a presence in markets that extend beyond construction, connecting its business to everyday household and personal needs.
Diversification, however, is more than adding new products to a catalogue. It requires an understanding of different customers, operational demands and market opportunities. For a business that began in building-materials trading, moving into other sectors represents a broader commercial ambition and a willingness to develop new capabilities.
The group has also received recognition in the Dangote Cement distribution network. Published reports have identified TwinsFaja among the recognised distributors in the company’s nationwide and South-West categories. Such recognition provides an indication of its standing within the building-materials trade, while its broader expansion reflects the ambition to develop a more diversified business.
That ambition continues with the group’s new superstore project in Sangotedo, in the Ajah axis of Lagos. The project adds to its retail development and signals an interest in serving customers in another part of the state.
THE WOMAN BEHIND THE EXECUTIVE TITLE
While business leadership occupies a significant part of her life, Kemi’s interests extend beyond corporate responsibilities. She has an appreciation for fashion, particularly the colour, texture and versatility of African fabrics.
That interest sits naturally alongside TwinsFaja’s fashion and retail categories, which include fabrics, adult clothing and children’s wear. Her personal style offers another glimpse of her personality, reflecting an appreciation for presentation and the creative possibilities of fashion. Her apparent enjoyment of photographs adds a further personal dimension to her public image.
Yet the fuller picture of a person cannot be captured by business achievements or appearance alone. Faith and family are also important parts of her life. Despite the demands of leadership, she remains committed to serving God and values the opportunity to spend time with her children and grandchildren.
As a mother and grandmother, she makes efforts to create room for family amid a busy schedule. Her appreciation for relationships also extends to the workplace, where she values opportunities to interact with members of her management team beyond formal meetings and official responsibilities.
These aspects of her life offer a more personal perspective on the woman behind the executive title: someone whose world encompasses enterprise, family, faith and the relationships she maintains with others.
TURNING SUCCESS INTO OPPORTUNITY
The Kemi Fajana Foundation provides another dimension to her story. Its stated areas of interest include education, healthcare, women’s empowerment and economic development, with initiatives focused on mentorship, vocational training and support for people who need opportunities to improve their circumstances.
Such work addresses concerns that extend beyond the day-to-day operations of a business. Mentorship can help young people develop direction and confidence, while practical training can equip participants with skills they can use to pursue employment or establish small businesses.
The foundation’s activities connect the idea of success with the question of opportunity: how experience, resources and support can be used to help others move forward. This adds a community dimension to the wider TwinsFaja story, demonstrating that the interests associated with the family’s enterprise extend beyond commercial activity.
BUILDING BEYOND THE PRESENT
The journey of Kemi and Taiye Fajana reflects the cumulative nature of business growth. From early experience in the building-materials trade to a group with interests across several sectors, the development of TwinsFaja has involved learning, partnership and the willingness to explore new opportunities.
Kemi’s place in that journey is best understood not as a separate success story detached from the company’s history, but as part of a partnership that has helped shape the enterprise over time. Her commercial involvement, personal interests and commitment to family and community provide different perspectives on the woman behind the title.
Ultimately, a business is measured not only by the products it sells or the markets it enters, but also by the decisions that sustain it and the relationships that support its development.
For Kemi Fajana, the story extends beyond the business empire. It is also about partnership, personal conviction, family and the continuing work of building an enterprise with room to grow.
