– Heirs Holdings celebrates 15 years of impact, driving transformation across Africa through strategic investments in critical sectors, creating a $10.2 billion portfolio, spanning 24 countries and 4 continents.
– Founded by Tony O. Elumelu, CFR, in 2010, Heirs Holdings is a demonstration of Elumelu’s defining Africapitalism philosophy, delivering both profit and impact, transforming lives and changing a continent.
Lagos, Nigeria – August 1, 2025 – Heirs Holdings, the family-owned pan-African investment group created by Tony O. Elumelu, CFR, marks its 15th anniversary this month, celebrating a decade and a half of transformative, long-term investment in Africa.
Established in 2010, Heirs Holdings was founded on a mission: to transform Africa, creating economic and social wealth; a demonstration of Tony Elumelu’s philosophy of Africapitalism, which positions the private sector as the key driver of economic prosperity and social wealth across Africa.
Heirs Holdings has purposely executed a portfolio designed to create long-term impact, to change the face of a continent and its people. By investing in the fundamental infrastructure of Africa, in democratising financial services, addressing the huge deficits in power, ensuring African resources feed African value chains, Heirs Holdings has not only created financial value, but changed lives. This commitment is exemplified in Heirs Holdings’ support for the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), whose new model of philanthropy has championed entrepreneurs across Africa and touched millions.
Today, Heirs Holdings’ investment portfolio spans Power, Energy, Banking, Insurance & Financial Services, Technology, Real Estate and Hospitality, Healthcare, across 24 countries and 4 continents (Africa, Europe, North America, and Asia), with a cumulative portfolio value of $10.2 billion. In doing so, Heirs Holdings has also invested heavily in Africa’s most valuable asset: the continent’s people. A proudly African-owned and African-managed business, with a commitment to human capital development, Heirs Holdings Group and investee companies employ over 40,000 people, and have launched a series of leading human resources initiatives, including its innovative graduate development programmes.
Heirs Holdings’ fifteen years have seen a series of groundbreaking transactions that have demonstrated value creation, resilience and effectiveness. By uniting Africa’s human talent with Elumelu’s transformative vision and desire to do well and to do good, the Group has delivered value and impact. Highlights
include:
– The Heirs Holdings-led acquisition of OML 17 from Shell, Total, and Eni in Africa’s largest oil and gas deal of 2021 and the subsequent doubling of daily production to over 50,000 barrels, with increased gas output for power and industrial use.
– The acquisition of Ughelli Power Plc by Transcorp Power, followed by a 306% increase in generation capacity, from 160MW to 610MW, within the first year. Transcorp Power was the first Nigerian generation company to fully meet its post-privatisation obligations and receive a discharge certificate from the Federal Government of Nigeria.
– The acquisition and turnaround of Afam Power Plc through Transafam Power and restoration of a 138MW unit to the national grid after 15 years of dormancy; all in line with Heirs Holdings’ vision of power access for all.
– The completion of the $130 million upgrade of the iconic Transcorp Hilton Abuja and the launch of its state-of-the-art, 5,000-capacity Transcorp Event Centre, driven by Heirs Holdings’ commitment to redefining hospitality in Nigeria.
– Avon HMO’s positive impact as a key player in Heirs Holdings’ healthcare portfolio; reaching over 250,000 lives through 2,500 hospitals globally.
– The expansion of Afriland Properties Plc’s portfolio, as Heirs Holdings’ real estate arm and the delivery of landmark developments, including Afriland Towers and Heirs Towers; as well as residential developments: The Residences 1&2 in Ikoyi, Iris Court in Ikeja, and Afriland Estate, Abuja.
– The launch of Heirs General Insurance and Heirs Life Assurance, to democratise access to insurance and drive financial inclusion through digital technology; and the introduction of the Heirs Insurance Experience Centre, Nigeria’s first fully digital insurance hub, by Heirs Insurance Group.
– The expansion of Heirs Holdings’ continental footprint with the launch of United Capital’s West African office in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
– The processing of over ₦12 trillion ($10 billion) in payment transactions in 2024 by Redtech Limited, a fintech subsidiary of Heirs Holdings, as it continues to build Africa’s next-generation payment infrastructure.
Heirs Holdings has also created socioeconomic impact through its sustainability initiatives and philanthropic efforts. The Tony Elumelu Foundation is the largest African-funded philanthropy focused on entrepreneurship. Since inception, TEF has empowered over 24,000 entrepreneurs, disbursed over $100 million in seed capital, creating more than 1.5 million direct and indirect jobs across all 54 African countries.
In parallel, Heirs Holdings’ sustainability and CSR initiatives across its subsidiaries, from healthcare access and education support to environmental protection and infrastructural development, have improved lives in thousands of communities.
“We established Heirs Holdings to be more than a business. Heirs Holdings is a mission. A mission to demonstrate that Africa can generate shared wealth, create employment, and improve lives by doing business the right way. For over 15 years, we have proven that our approach, Africapitalism, works
and we are just getting started,” said Tony O. Elumelu, CFR, Group Chairman of Heirs Holdings.
As Heirs Holdings commemorates 15 years of transformative investment, the Group has become a template for creating long-term value and sustainable business impact, one of Africa’s strongest advocates and most admired business brands.