There’s a particular kind of energy in a room full of people who have decided to build something. You can feel it before anyone says a word, in the handshakes, the exchanged numbers, and the quiet “let’s talk after this.” On Saturday, 19 September 2026, that energy will fill a hall in Maryland, Lagos, as Smart Stewards hosts ELEVATE 2026, its 11th Annual Summit, under a theme that could not feel more timely: Build a Wealth Dynasty the Economy Can’t Shake – You, Your Children, Their Children.
For over a decade, Smart Stewards has quietly become one of the most trusted names in financial education in Nigeria and across the diaspora, helping a community of more than 100,000 people move from financial stress to genuine stability. But this year’s summit is something more: a celebration, a masterclass, and a movement, all in one day.
A morning for everyone, an afternoon for the builders, the day unfolds in two beautifully distinct parts.
The Main Summit (9:00 AM – 1:00 PM) is free and open to all, as a warm, electric gathering of thousands. Young and old, students and professionals, the just-starting-out and the well-on-the-way. It’s a morning of real, practical teaching on how to make money, manage it wisely, and build wealth that actually lasts.
The teaching line-up alone is worth the early start: leadership strategist Niyi Adesanya, the remarkable Funke Felix-Adejumo, who returned to university at 59 and earned her law degree at 63 while running multiple businesses, sustainability expert Ini Abimbola, and wellness executive and entrepreneur Bola Matel-Okoh, who built a thriving women’s wealth community hub in just eighteen months.
Then, as the afternoon settles, the doors open to something more intimate.
The Founders’ Table (2:00 – 6:00 PM) is a curated gathering of 500 of the country’s most dynamic founders, a room of fluid, honest conversation, high-level connection, cocktails, and real warmth. Twenty of Nigeria’s most accomplished builders will sit together in four themed “circles,” speaking candidly about the real work behind their success: the challenges, the cash flow, the capital, and the customers.
The kind of room you leave totally changed.
Picture it: Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, who co-founded two billion-dollar companies. Juliet Ehimuan, who led Google across West Africa before founding Beyond Limits. Joycee Awosika, whose ORÍKÌ spas now stretch beyond Nigeria’s borders. Taaooma, the young creative, is turning her gift into a media empire. Ejiro Amos Tafiri, whose designs you’ve spotted at weddings from Lagos to Canada. Toyin Bakare, who took her mother’s lace business global. Busola Tejumola, Head of Content at Multichoice, and the Honorable Commissioner of Agriculture for Lagos State, Abisola Olusanya, will be on the table as well. Others include Dr. Yetty Ogunnubi, Debola Deji-Kurunmi, Tobi Fletcher (Ofada Boy), Tochuku Mc Foy, and many other founders in food, fashion, fintech, media, mobility, real estate, and more, each one bearing proof that where you start is not where you finish.
That’s the quiet magic of the Founders’ Table: it doesn’t just tell you wealth is possible. It seats you in a room with the people who built it and lets you see, up close, that they are human and reachable and once stood exactly where you are.
More than a summit, a catalyst. What makes Smart Stewards different is its belief that information alone doesn’t build wealth. Access does, connection does, and capacity does. ELEVATE 2026 is where all three meet. Where a young person with an idea can share the same air as a founder she’s admired for years and walk away not just inspired, but equipped. The Convener, Founder, and Lead Coach Sola Adesakin—a chartered accountant, author, and one of the most recognizable voices in African financial empowerment, puts it simply: this is a room built to give people exactly what changed her own life. Access, belief, and a plan.
Be in the room.
The Main Summit is completely free. The Founders’ Table is a premium, ticketed experience, and worth every naira for anyone serious about building. Both events will be happening at the KICC Dome, Maryland, Lagos, with options to join virtually.
General Summit: 9-1pm (FREE)
Founders Table: 2-6pm
Lock down your Saturday. Bring a friend. Come ready to build something that lasts. Register now, here
BellaNaija is a Media Partner for Smart Stewards Summit 11.0
The post Inside ELEVATE 2026: A Room Where Nigeria’s Boldest Builders Are Rewriting What Wealth Means appeared first on BellaNaija - Showcasing Africa to the world. Read today!.