From NYSC Delay to $1.5M Breakthrough: How a Nigerian Graduate Built West Africa’s Largest Safety Footwear Brand

From NYSC Delay to $1.5M Breakthrough: How a Nigerian Graduate Built West Africa’s Largest Safety Footwear Brand

What began as an unexpected delay in Nigeria’s National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) program in 2015 became the turning point for a remarkable entrepreneurial journey.

Yinka Atunde, a Computer Science graduate of Babcock University, has successfully raised $1.5 million in funding to scale his company, Yikodeen, now recognized as one of West Africa’s leading safety footwear manufacturers.

A surprising career detour

While many graduates pursued careers in tech, banking, or overseas opportunities, Atunde chose an unconventional path after asking himself a life-defining question: “What do I really want to do?”

Instead of entering the tech industry, he decided to learn shoemaking.

To build his skills, he traveled to Italy, a global hub for footwear production, and later visited factories in China to understand industrial-scale manufacturing. Upon returning to Nigeria, he further deepened his knowledge by working inside a local shoe factory to learn the business from the ground up.

Spotting a major industrial gap

During his research, Atunde discovered a major problem in Nigeria’s economy: most safety footwear used in industries such as oil and gas, construction, and manufacturing was imported.

Rather than compete in the crowded fashion market, he focused on a more difficult but impactful niche—locally producing industrial safety boots.

Building from scraps and abandoned machines

The journey was far from easy. Lacking the funds for modern equipment, he sourced old, abandoned machinery from over 15 defunct factories across Nigeria and worked with engineers to restore them.

The early years were marked by doubt and rejection, as many organizations questioned whether a Nigerian company could meet international safety standards.

The breakthrough moment

Persistence eventually paid off. In 2022, Yikodeen secured a major contract to supply 10,000 pairs of safety boots to the Nigerian Police, proving its capability to compete with imported products.

Since then, the company has grown rapidly, supplying footwear to major organizations including Dangote Group, NLNG, Seplat, BUA, Saipem, and the Nigerian Army.

Expansion and global investment

In 2025, Yikodeen received a $1.5 million investment from Aruwa Capital Management, fueling further expansion.

Its modern facility in Ejigbo, Lagos, now produces over 5,000 pairs of shoes daily and employs around 500 workers, with women making up more than 61% of its workforce.

A bigger vision beyond shoes

Atunde’s mission goes beyond manufacturing footwear. He envisions Nigeria becoming a major hub for industrial safety products, reducing reliance on imports while building globally competitive manufacturing capacity.

What began as an unexpected delay in NYSC ultimately evolved into one of Nigeria’s most inspiring stories of innovation, resilience, and local industrial growth.