The success story of Cosmas Maduka: Rise from Poverty to Billionaire
Cosmas Maduka is a Nigerian entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is the founder, chairman, and president of the Coscharis Group.
Early Life
Maduka was born in the City of Jos. At age of 6, two years after the death of his father, Maduka started his own business. To help support his mother, he stopped attending primary school and began selling Akara, a traditional Nigerian food staple derived from beans. When he was 7 years old he was taken to his uncle to work as an automotive apprentice.
He worked for his uncle in Lagos who sold motorbike parts. At the age of 14, unfortunately, his uncle released him of his responsibilities since Cosmas closed the shop to engage in some religious activity because of his newly discovered faith—Christianity. This incensed his uncle, who decided to compensate Cosmas for his seven years of work with N200. That undoubtedly served as Cosmas’s first solo business venture.
Success Story
Cosmas collaborated with his brother to form Maduka Brothers and began trading automotive parts. They shortly split up due to monetary issues. Cosmas used all the knowledge and contacts he gained while working for his uncle to help him succeed as an entrepreneur. He began purchasing and selling motorcycle parts. Additionally, he purchased items from Boulus Enterprise, a bike and motorcycle retailer. He’d purchase from them, take off the tags, and then sell.
He eventually formed a new partnership with his pal Dave. Its name was CosDave, but it shortly failed as a result of other discrepancies. In 1977, he founded Coscharis Motors, which is now known as Coscharis Group. His name, Cosmas, and his wife, Charity, are combined to form the name Coscharis. Coscharis began importing and distributing auto accessories, spare parts, and other things related to the automotive industry.
As the business developed and prospered, the government of Nigeria decided to issue importation licenses to 10 Nigerian companies in the 1980s. When Coscharis was one of the chosen businesses, a new era for the business began. Maduka claimed that his connections to the Japanese were the reason for his professional success.
Maduka claimed that because of his early interactions with the Japanese people, he was able to cultivate the qualities of dedication, humility, accuracy, and diligence that were essential to his professional success. He vowed to mention it in his autobiography. Cosmas Maduka holds directorships in a number of notable businesses and organizations.
From 2000-2012, he served as a Director at Access Bank Plc, one of the top banks in Nigeria. In 2012, Cosmos Maduka was one of the select individuals awarded the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) National Honors by President Goodluck Jonathan.
About Coscharis Group
Coscharis Group is a conglomerate with a net worth of over $500 million Its various subsidiaries operate in the manufacturing, information and communications technology (ICT), auto care and auto component, automobile sales and services, petrochemical, and agricultural and agro-allied business sectors.
Range Rover, Ford, and Jaguar are just a few of the luxury car brands distributed by Coscharis Motors. Coscharis Motors earned the “Auto Brand of the Year” award at the Marketing World Awards in 2015. In the same year, it also became the sole distributor of BMW in Nigeria. It was also the first company to establish a Ford Ranger assembly plant in Nigeria.
In 2016, Anambra State granted Coscharis Farms permission to farm rice on 5000 hectares of land. Upon completion, the project is expected to employ over 3000 people. According to Top 50 Brands Nigeria, The Coscharis Group is among the list of top 50 brands in Nigeria.
I am a law graduate from NLU Lucknow. I have a flair for creative writing and hence in my free time work as a freelance content writer.