When Gift Solomon arrived in Dubai in 2015, she was a 23-year-old with dreams of making it big in Dubai, a city known for opportunities. Like many who seek greener pastures, Solomon left her home in Nigeria to find better prospects in the UAE. But the journey wasn’t as easy as she initially thought.
After getting in touch with an agent before arriving in the UAE, she hoped her path would be smooth. However, her first three months in the country were full of disappointments. Solomon had no job, was living at a shared accommodation in Sharjah, and found herself frequently commuting to Dubai for interviews. “Despite my efforts, I couldn’t land a position. I told my family I was working, but the truth was, that I had no job and was desperately in need of one. I was ready for any sort of job,” said Solomon.
A new beginning
Determined not to give up, Solomon continued to appear for interviews and stayed in touch with friends who helped her keep an eye out for job openings. Her persistence paid off when she was finally hired by a local restaurant based in Dubai Marina, Freedom Pizza, as a waitress, earning Dh2,500 per month. It wasn’t the dream job she had envisioned, but it was a start.
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“I was proud of myself,” said Solomon, reflecting on her early days of taking customer orders. Her time at the pizza joint became more than just a job. “It became a stepping stone to something much bigger.”
During her time at the restaurant, she noticed that delivery riders were earning more than she was. This realisation set her on a new path. “I learned how to ride a bike here in Dubai,” she said. With encouragement from her company, Solomon enrolled in a driving school. “My company provided me with the necessary NOC to complete my course. I passed the driving test on my first attempt, and it felt like the world had opened for me,” said Solomon.
She transitioned from being a waitress to a delivery rider, working the streets of Dubai for two years. Even as she navigated the roads and delivered pizzas, she never stopped dreaming of more.
A leap into tourism
Solomon’s journey took an unexpected turn when she started sharing her life in Dubai on social media. She posted pictures of herself visiting the city’s iconic landmarks, which garnered attention back home in Nigeria. “People started noticing, and they would reach out, asking me to take them to different places,” said Solomon.
One such encounter changed her life. After taking a client around Dubai, she was paid over Dh1,000, which was a pleasant surprise. “I realised there was an opportunity here,” she said. Solomon began organising trips for her Nigerian and African friends, taking them to various hotspots around the city. “It began as a favour on my days off as a delivery rider and it quickly blossomed into a side business,” said Solomon, describing how she launched her first venture, Dubai Gateway Travels, a tourism company catering to clients from Africa. She helped them organise their visits and develop their itineraries, managing to turn her passion into profit.
A new opportunity in real estate
During her work in the tourism sector, Solomon began to notice another pattern. Her clients back in Nigeria started asking her to visit properties in Dubai on their behalf. “They wanted to buy, and I was the one helping them check out the real estate,” said Solomon. This was when Solomon realised she had become a real estate agent without even intending to.
Recognising a golden opportunity, she capitalised on her clients’ trust and began learning about the real estate market. “I told my clients I could help them find properties, and they trusted me,” said Solomon. Encouraged by their faith in her, she founded her own company, Giffy Real Estate in April 2024.
In just a short period, she had already closed several deals. “I recently sold seven units in 42 hours. That was one of my biggest achievements,” said Solomon.
Building a multi-million-dollar empire
After starting as a freelance real estate agent in 2023, she now heads a company worth over Dh15 million. “We are doing millions of dirhams in transactions every month,” said Solomon.
Her clientele, initially from Nigeria and other African nations, has expanded. “Now, investors from African countries, the US, and India know me. We are even focusing on the European and Russian markets,” said Solomon.
Solomon’s family, who lives in her hometown, has been her source of strength throughout her journey. “They are really proud of my journey,” she said, reflecting on the long road she has travelled since her arrival in the UAE.
Looking forward, Solomon is eager to continue scaling her business. “I’m still building, and we are only getting started. We have our eyes set on even greater heights in the competitive Dubai real estate market,” said Solomon.