Nigerian swim school focused on women and children has secured funding to build a first of its kind Aquatic Center in Lagos, Nigeria.
The investment raised will be used to build a first of its kind aquatic center in Lagos Nigeria, with a state-of-the-art Standard Swimming Pool that will be available for Learn to Swim Programs, for Adults & Children; Competitions (Local & International); Water Safety & Lifeguard Training as well as Corporate Training & Events.
Headquartered in Lagos, Dolphin Aquatic Center through its subsidiary Dolphin Swim SchoolTM is Nigeria’s first female-owned and staffed swimming school, designed to safely train and equip Nigerian women and children in the sport of swimming. The swim school was launched by Aderoju Ope-Ajayi to destigmatize the age-old fears and apathy that most Nigerians have when it comes to swimming. She is a Nigerian Aquatic Federation Certified and FINA-certified, West African University Games swimming gold medalist.
Since their launch in 2017, they have trained over 2500 women and children to swim. In a country not well known for having a thriving recreational or life skills industry, this feat gives credence to the need for further expansion to accommodate more women and children willing to build the necessary life skill of swimming. Currently, the Swim school has three locations in Lagos, Lekki, Victoria Island and Ikeja. The team has also expanded to include a dozen females, certified instructors, and administrators.
Since its launch, Dolphin Swim School has won grants from BMCE Bank of Africa and Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ) which helped them scale and position them as the number 1 swim school for women and children in Nigeria. They have also won several awards which include WIMBIZ Impact Investment Award in 2017, Africa Entrepreneurship Award in 2018, Redrick PR: The People Behind 14 Brands We Love Nigeria Award – 2018. She was also listed as The Guardian 7 Wonder Women Awards – Sports and Leading Ladies Africa’s 100 most inspiring women of 2019.
Their Founder and CEO, Aderoju said ‘Dolphin Swim School has outgrown one woman’s dream to teach as many women as possible and children the art of swimming and is now actively grooming competitive swimmers while imparting water safety knowledge while utilizing the highest safety standards. She also reiterated that over the years, there has been a high rate of drowning amongst women and children because they do not have this life skill, these deaths could have been avoidable. She is on a mission to reduce this.
For Nigeria, a coastal country with so many rivers and water bodies crisscrossing the terrain, very little effort has been put into making the maximum effort of the opportunities offered for trained swimmers and other water activities. Hence, the achievement of Dolphin Swim SchoolTM shows the need for further investments in the industry, to accommodate the growing number of Nigerians taking swimming seriously. This facility will expand its operations so it can reach even more communities. With this investment, the investors are looking to see more women and children in both competitive and recreational swimming pursuits.
