Pioneering Progress Across Africa – Exclusive Interview with Rasheed Olubukola Damilare
Rasheed Olubukola Damilare’s story is one of determination, innovation, and a deep love for Africa. From losing everything he had built for his dream restaurant to launching Africa’s first private rocket company, founding a cross-border train service, and creating spaces where Africans can connect and grow together, Rasheed’s journey is a testament to resilience. Guided by a mission to inspire and equip the next generation, he is proving that with vision and perseverance, no dream is too big for the African continent.
Rasheed Olubukola Damilare, Founder & Director
Introduce yourself! Please tell us about you and your life, so we can get to know you better.
Rasheed Olubukola Damilare was born into a family of six in Lagos, Nigeria. He attended Central Bank of Nigeria Primary School, which built his educational foundation. He then proceeded to Unity Secondary School in Osun State, Nigeria, where he completed his senior secondary education. He struggled with mathematics but never gave up on himself.
Today, he is the founder and Director of one of South Africa’s major leading companies, Africa United Group, a firebrand that’s actively working to unite Africans with its products and services.
With companies like Africa United Cross Border Train Services, which aims to transport people and goods from one African country to another via trains, Rasheed is creating opportunities for connection across the continent.
His restaurant, Africa United Restaurant, is centred on uniting Africans by making them dine together. He believes that if we dine together, we can grow together. He likes to skate in his free time, and sometimes he writes books too.
He used to keep a rabbit named Randy, but sadly, Randy died from overfeeding.
His major company, Africa United Space, appears to be the first rocket testing and launching company in Africa, a grand step towards being the first private company to launch live rockets from African soil.
Can you share the journey that led you to create Africa United Group and the challenges you faced along the way?
Creating and founding a company like Africa United Group is deeply rooted in a lot of pain and mystery. He started with the registration of the restaurant, Africa United Restaurant, a place where all Africans could dine and wine together. He saved and collected all the necessary things to open a restaurant, such as chafing dishes, pots, gas stoves, plates, spoons, cups, and all the cooking utensils.
He did this for several years, starting on 16 January 2018, by registering the company and gathering all the equipment. By 2020, he was close to opening the restaurant when, all of a sudden, he was crushed with some battles. His landlord, envious of his plan, began to attack him spiritually. He lost the work and equipment that had taken years to put together in a single day and landed in the hospital, losing everything he had prepared for the restaurant. This is how the plan to open the restaurant was foiled.
Not giving up, he started all over again. After surviving the attack, he realised he had to expand his catalogue of companies by seizing the opportunity in his failure. That was how Africa United Space (Pty) was founded. He discovered that if rockets could be launched in the United States, it could also be done in South Africa, and the rest is history.
Africa United Restaurant and Africa United Space are both firebrands today. After recovering from the incident, three years later, he remembered what he had written down a few years before. This became the third company, Africa United Cross Border Train Services, starting from South Africa and connecting to Cairo, Egypt, and the rest of Africa.
As someone who has overcome many life hurdles, what key lesson would you say shaped the man you are today?
Resilience. The key lesson to bringing any dream to life is that you have to have a conviction with yourself that it’s either you win or you win, nothing more. Founding Africa United Group tested his grit and integrity. It shook his very core, like a rollercoaster.
There were situations that could have broken him during the course of building Africa United Group. He would sleep on it, dust himself off, and keep moving. Today, we can celebrate him as a successful man.
It’s easy to lose focus or burn out, but he was always on and about his business. Regular exercise, intermittent fasting, and charity work were his mottos in building the mental capacity needed to create Africa United Group.
How does Africa United Group's global presence contribute to its mission of empowering African children through education?
We are currently living off our predecessors’ work here in Africa, so it’s natural to give back to the younger generations. Africa United Group is focused on the younger generations. It's an aerospace company, Africa United Space, has designed toy rockets, space suits, and small robots to support the development of African children so that, by the time they become adults, they will be able to contribute immensely to the future and development of Africa. This was the strategy he employed.
In your experience, how can education transform the future of children in Africa, and what role do you see your company playing in that transformation?
As a company, Africa United Group made sure to include children in all our goals. We even raised the issue of children in our conversation with the African Space Agency, to align them with our future plans. Our strategy is a mindset. If we can train their mindset to believe they can achieve great things, they will achieve them.
Africa United Space developed space suits, toys, and robots to build young minds in such a way that they will be interested in contributing to the industry once they grow up. The goal is to shape their mindset so they make wise decisions. African children are the future of Africa, and they are Africa’s brightest minds.
Tell us about a pivotal moment in your life that brought you to where you are today.
In the journey of building Africa United Group, there have been heavy highs and low lows, but the most significant reason for the continuous progress and eventual success is the partner in my life. She made it clear she would never settle for less, and this became my watchword. It became my strength whenever I was down. I remember her words, and they hit me like a brick. Today, Africa United Group is a success.
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