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He is soft-spoken yet highly prolific. He cannot be caught indulging in banality. He does not engage in any form or shade of falsehood. This disposition is rooted in his background: with a father who was the first university graduate in his village of Ewatto in Edo State and a mother who was a headmistress, his upbringing was predictably spartan. Highly focused parenting has played a significant role in his adulthood: with both father and mother already gone to take their well-earned rest in the afterlife, he now challenges the elements of nature to do unusual things from which he is reaping a series of successes, especially in preserving his parents’ legacy, good name and communal posture and identity. His trajectory, so far, is anchored in the offerings of the Middle Platonic Greek philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist and priest, Plutarch: “It is indeed a desirable thing to be of good lineage, but the glory belongs to our ancestors.” This is the essential summary of the ideas of the promising intrepid Nigerian investor living in South Africa, Kenn Ayere, who represents the gift of journalism to the world of business.
Journalism provided the platform on which Kenn launched himself into the world: association with men and women, some of the world’s finest minds. In the process, a vision of the business world, long nurtured and guarded in the innermost recesses of his mind, further mutated and found a pragmatic manifestation in far-off South Africa, where he was posted as bureau chief of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). His response to the demands of his environment, the aim of carving out a niche for himself and offering some form of service to society and God, would define a significant intersection in his luminous era. In this regard, Kenn took a cue from an ancient Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, astronomer and inventor, Achimedes of Syracuse, who is always quoted as having once said, “Give me a place to stand and a lever long enough, and I will move the world.”
Certainly, Kenn remains grateful to God and the journalism profession through which Divinity provided the opportunity and path for his current entrepreneurial endeavors in South Africa from where he began a critical reconnection with his indigenous community in Nigeria. In a brief chat with THE CONCLAVE (online newspaper), Kenn expressed a deep sense of nostalgia that underscored his strong relationship with journalism. Read it: “Journalism will always be in my blood. That was my foundation and what I still have passion for. I was the Bureau Chief of the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, for Southern Africa, for four and a half years, having served in various states in Nigeria.” Later, after venturing into the business world, he would publish the African Envoy newspaper in South Africa, which circulated nationwide.
He shared with THE CONCLAVE the motivation behind his foray into investing in South Africa: “I have always had an entrepreneurial drive in me since childhood. After journalism, I started retailing oil in South Africa. I was the first Nigerian to get a Chevron franchise in South Africa. You also mentioned Hombaze African Cuisine in your comments. Yes, Hombaze is 21 years old this year. It is one of the leading African-themed restaurant groups in South Africa.” Unlike many people, Kenn is an archetypal village boy, well-connected to the pristine nature of the idyllic Ewatto community, with all its rustic vibes and nuances. Yes, the “shuttles” back then were between Benin, the state capital, and his village. Today, Benin, which has gifted him with a beautiful wife, is a beneficiary of Kenn’s decision to reconnect with his home through meaningful investments.
Consider his rationalization and/or motivation for his investments in Benin: “I have always believed that only a fool goes to the market and sleeps there. All normal people will know when to go home after trading. I have been in South Africa for 28 years. South Africa is home to me too, but Edo is home, my place of origin. When I purchased plots of land in Ofunmwengbe, I realized that there was no standard school in the community. It has always been my dream to build a school because I believe in the values of education. I named it Ayere Education Centre to uphold the legacy of my late father, MA Ayere, who was the first university graduate of Ewatto Kingdom and my late mother, who retired as a school principal. Aside from the emotional ties to these investments, there was also the desire to bring home some of the experiences one had been exposed to, having lived elsewhere for almost three decades.
■ Lifestyle Value Mall in Benin: a new addition to its investment scheduled to open on September 17, 2024
“The food market in Lifestyle Value Mall has been included in the project to introduce elements of hygiene into our shopping experience. The food market will be an improvement over what we are used to. A situation where raw food and meat, poultry, etc., are unduly exposed to flies and dirt is quite unhygienic. We have introduced a butcher shop and a market, where all the food will be well preserved and presented. Our people deserve better. We have been used to doing things in a particular way for too long. We want to join all others who are rendering services to raise the living standards of our people.”
■ Job opportunities for Edo people
According to Kenn, “Lifestyle Value Mall will employ a minimum of 100 people directly upon launch. Several vendors and sellers will be employed indirectly by this venture. This is our way of supporting the efforts to reduce unemployment in my hometown. We plan to grow the brand and improve upon what we started with in due time. I believe our people deserve the best and anyone who can lift even one person out of unemployment should do so. I could do all of this where I currently reside, but I believe that in everything that life offers, one should not forget one’s roots.”
Surprisingly, Kenn’s efforts are rooted in the place of prayers and his commitment to serving the Almighty God. A devout Pentecostal-inspired Christian, Kenn, in 2019, single-handedly built a huge religious building, the Divine Chapel of Praise and Worship, which he donated to his community in Ofunmwengbe, Benin in 2019. He is, to a large extent, a wise man. No man or woman does business with God and fails. Kenn has, on this point, applied his heart to wisdom.
■ Congratulations
The staff and management of THE CONCLAVE (online newspaper) congratulate Kenn Ayere on his new investment: the Lifestyle Value Mall in Benin, scheduled to open on Tuesday, September 17, 2024 at 12:00 p.m.
Many of his friends took to social media, especially WhatsApp, to praise his investment efforts and congratulate him on adding new value to the Kenn Ayere brand.
The post Kenn Ayere: From Journalism to Intrepid Corporate Investing, by Sufuyan Ojeifo appeared first on TheConclaveNg.
