Engineer Grows Drone Company from 1 to 100+ Staff in Africa

When Okosubide Mozimo joined AWS Limited in 2016, he was the company's strategy department, operations team, and procurement officer rolled into one. Eight years later, he leads more than 100 professionals providing drone surveillance and monitoring services across Africa's most critical sectors.

AWS began as a subsidiary of ARCO Group, an oil and gas firm with 45 years of experience. The company delivers custom drone solutions to government agencies and companies in energy, maritime, military, agriculture, infrastructure, and telecommunications sectors.

Mozimo's transformation from solo operator to managing director wasn't easy. He faced the challenge of aligning international aviation compliance standards with local African realities while building an entirely new industry framework. "Leadership is not just about having a vision," Mozimo says. "It is about resilience and diplomacy."

The engineer had to shift his entire approach as the team grew. "In those early days, leadership meant 'doing,'" he explains. "As we scaled, my role had to shift from doing the work to designing the systems that do the work."

One of his biggest hurdles was building company culture. Hiring skilled people was tough, but teaching them to think like owners proved even harder. The experience transformed him from manager to mentor, ensuring his team understood both the what and the why behind their mission.

The Ripple Effect

Mozimo's impact extends beyond his own company walls. AWS recently launched a training academy for Unmanned Aerial Systems, transferring critical skills and building local capacity across the region. "We ensure that our growth enriches the community," he says. "That is how you create long-term value: by making yourself indispensable to the development of the sector."

The company has secured accreditation as a reseller for top global aviation and drone manufacturers across multiple African territories. This achievement validates Mozimo's vision to build an indigenous African company operating at the highest international standards.

Three principles guide every decision at AWS: resilience, integrity, and safety. "If a decision compromises any of these three, it is a 'no,'" Mozimo states. Integrity serves as their "currency" in building relationships with global partners like DJI Enterprise and Textron Systems.

Mozimo now focuses on high-level strategy and securing international partnerships while steering AWS's expansion across West Africa and beyond. His goal is ambitious but clear: position AWS as one of Africa's biggest drone operators with a comprehensive value chain covering production, maintenance, and services.

From one-person army to industry leader, Mozimo proves that tall oaks really do grow from little acorns.