ABOUT US
OAO Investments is a private investment firm anchored in service, driven by transformation, and committed to scale. As Stewards of Growth, we invest not only in enterprises but in the exponential potential of the people and communities behind them.
Ours is a different kind of capital — one that values integrity as much as returns, and legacy as much as leadership. With every investment, we ask: how do we serve, inspire, and transform vast lives — not someday, but today?
The OAO Way
At OAO Investments, we are not just investors. We are Stewards of Growth, guided by principle, driven by purpose, and deeply embedded in the communities and companies we serve.
“Open Arms, Open Opportunities” that is our belief. It is how we partner: with humility, with courage, and with a deep commitment to enabling quantum leaps: from township entrepreneurs to industry pioneers.
Our approach fuses African ingenuity with global thinking. We bring strategic capital, but we also bring moral capital, operational depth, and a belief in possibility.
Whether building a tech platform in Gauteng, formalising a family business in the Eastern Cape, or uplifting a rural clinic in Limpopo, our question remains the same: How do we grow in a way that outlives us?
At OAO Investments, we believe that true transformation does not start with capital, it starts with character. Our purpose drives how we engage, who we partner with, and what kind of legacy we aim to build
Our purpose
To Serve, Inspire &
Transform Vast Lives
This is not a tagline. It is a lived mandate. We are not here for incremental impact. We are here for change at scale.
To Serve is to roll up our sleeves and walk the journey — not from a boardroom, but from the frontlines.
To Inspire is to illuminate possibility, unlocking ambition in individuals, businesses and ecosystems.
To Transform is to spark exponential, lasting change — not just for the few, but for the many.
We measure success not just by Return on Investment, but by Return on Impact.
Meet our
STEWARDS OF GROWTH
OAO is only as powerful as the Stewards who live its purpose. And live it, we do.
Yen
Choi
Chairman
Diverse experiences in strategy, technology, banking, finance and engineering
Zamokuhle
Aja-Okorie
CEO
Diverse experience in private equity, technology, healthcare and turns around strategy
Mariam
Hoosen
Director
Diverse experience marketing, stakeholder relations, healthcare and education
Lerato
Lebitsa
Managing Director
Diverse experience wealth management, investments and banking
Kwanda
Kwanda means “to grow” in isiZulu — but at OAO, growth is not just expansion. It means dignified, purpose-driven, and inclusive growth. Growth that uplifts everyone it touches. Growth that balances ambition with accountability.
Kwanda is the philosophy that underpins how we invest, lead and build:
Holistic Impact: Our lens is wide. Financial returns matter, but so do well-being, dignity, and environmental stewardship.
Kwanda is how we scale without losing soul. It is the blueprint for African growth — bold, grounded, and legacy-minded.
Our team leads with principle, designs with elegance, and serves with heart. Guided by our PEERS values, we turn capital into quantum leaps—for businesses, communities, and lives. Meet the Stewards behind the transformation.