At BudPay, we believe that building a successful company goes beyond driving quarterly profits or shipping features. True business leadership requires foresight, the kind that ensures your business outlives you. That’s why we’re proud to introduce The Legacy Project, our new thought leadership campaign designed to spotlight the often-overlooked importance of business continuity and leadership succession, particularly within Africa’s growing business landscape.

For many businesses, there’s a tendency to build on the brilliance of a founder or a small executive circle, with little thought given to what happens if that circle breaks. It’s a risk that’s often unspoken, but real.

The Legacy Project is our response to that reality.
This initiative explores how forward-thinking organizations are preparing and have prepared the next generation of leaders and building structures that outlast their founders. 

We spotlighted 5 families with businesses across various sectors, viz:

• – The Okey Udejis – Okeyson Investment Services Ltd
• – The Adeyemos – Wuyi Adeyemo & Co.
• – Cosmas Junior Maduka – Coscharis Group
• – The Ojukwus – Onakol Nigeria Ltd
• – The Olaniyans – Estatelinks Limited
  
  

We particularly focused on celebrating fathers who have built organisations that their children now lead or co-manage. We believe that fatherhood is about passing on a rich legacy. And for a father to build something worthwhile and watch their progeny carry on that baton in their lifetime, that’s truly priceless!

Why does this matter?

Because business continuity is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. 

When you look at markets today and their volatility tendencies, you’ll agree that companies who fail to plan for leadership transitions risk operational disruption, loss of stakeholder confidence, and in some cases, complete collapse. The cost of silence or procrastination in this area is too high, especially for SMEs and high-growth startups scaling rapidly without the structural discipline of older, more traditional firms.

From a fintech standpoint, BudPay plays a unique role in this conversation. As a partner to hundreds of businesses across the continent, we power the financial backbone of our clients’ operations with sustainable payment infrastructure. Our visibility into how these companies function gives us a vantage point: we see the operational gaps that stall growth, the knowledge silos that hinder scale, and the over-reliance on individual decision-makers. The Legacy Project is both an internal reflection and an external call to action.

Our goal is to raise awareness of the need for businesses to prioritise succession. We’re building a body of knowledge. The campaign features perspectives from five business founders, fathers who are business veterans, and their children who now lead or co-manage those very same organisations. Their stories will serve as both inspiration and cautionary tales.

As consultants and business advisors often say, “A good exit is a sign of great leadership.” Regardless of the size of your business and whether you’re building to scale or to sell, continuity is your responsibility as a founder or executive.

So, what’s your legacy?

Follow The Legacy Project across all platforms as we unpack lessons in resilience, leadership handover, and building systems that last. For those thinking long-term, this is your moment to reflect, realign, and prepare for the next generation.

Visit our YouTube Channel to access the stories as they unfold.

And remember, the future belongs to businesses that plan for it.