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Nigeria’s richest woman, Folorunso Alakija, says the $23 million medical research and training hospital she has donated to Osun State University is meant to do two things she considers essential: save lives and educate future doctors.
In a recent post on LinkedIn, Alakija reflected on the years behind the project, describing it as a long-held commitment rather than a single act of charity. “Seven years ago, we turned the first sod on this ground with a prayer and a vision,” she wrote. “The goal was to build a hospital that would not only serve Osun State University, but also help shape the future of healthcare.”
Alakija hands over 250-bed hospital
Her comments followed the formal handover of the facility, officially named the Modupe and Folorunso Alakija Medical Research and Training Hospital, to the university earlier this week. The 250-bed complex is expected to serve as the institution’s main teaching hospital while providing specialist care to patients across Osun State and neighboring regions.
Alakija said the opening of the hospital marks the beginning of a longer responsibility, not its conclusion. “This hospital is a place where knowledge will grow, lives will be healed, and new generations of medical professionals will be trained to serve humanity,” she said. “The real work begins now—in the classrooms, laboratories, wards, and in the lives that will pass through these doors.”
The hospital houses 20 clinical departments and five non-clinical units, alongside a community health center, maternity and neonatal wards, research and diagnostic laboratories, and four operating theaters. Its equipment includes CT and MRI scanners, ultrasound and X-ray suites, radiotherapy facilities, intensive care units and specialist services such as ophthalmology.
A legacy built beyond oil
Alakija, 74, is one of Africa’s top business figures. She began her career in 1974 as a secretary at the Sijuwade Group, owned by the late Oba Okunade Sijuwade, where she gained early exposure to corporate operations and decision-making that later shaped her business ventures.
She is vice chair of Famfa Oil, the privately held exploration company that holds a significant stake in the Agbami Oilfield, one of Nigeria’s largest offshore oil assets. Famfa operates in partnership with international energy companies including Chevron.
With a net worth of over $1 billion, Alakija has increasingly focused on philanthropy, education and health care. She said the Osun State hospital reflects her belief that lasting impact comes from institutions that continue to serve communities long after public attention fades.
