‘Building tech firm in Africa was corporate suicide’ – Leo Stan Ekeh

Africa’s technology pioneer and Chairman of Zinox Group, Leo Stan Ekeh, has described his decision to establish a technology company in Africa more than three decades ago as “corporate suicide”, given the continent’s limited technology ecosystem and widespread scepticism about the sector at the time.

Ekeh made this disclosure while delivering a keynote address on the theme, “Losing the Fear”, at The International Women Leadership Conference (TIWLC) in Dubai, organised by the Ibukun Awosika Leadership Foundation.

Addressing more than 600 women leaders and industry executives from across the world, Ekeh recounted how he abandoned conventional career paths and international job opportunities to pursue his ambition of building an indigenous African technology industry.

He said that while many of his contemporaries were pursuing careers in banking, oil and gas, he believed technology held the key to Africa’s economic transformation, despite widespread doubts about its commercial prospects on the continent.

“I chose the road not taken. It was corporate suicide in the eyes of my parents and many others. I lost the fear because I believed technology was the master key that would unlock possibilities for Nigeria and Africa,” he said.

Ekeh recalled that his early entrepreneurial years were marked by severe financial hardship, including surviving on one meal a day for more than three years and sleeping in a small room within his office.

His ambition, he explained, was to establish a distinct Nigerian and African identity in the global technology industry.

He traced the beginning of that journey to Task Systems Ltd, established more than 35 years ago and credited with pioneering desktop publishing and computer graphics in Nigeria.

At the company’s launch at the Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, Ekeh recalled telling an audience of industry leaders: “No country can claim to be independent without technology independence.”

He said the Nigerian media embraced the vision, contributing to the computerisation of more than 97 per cent of media and multimedia organisations in Nigeria and other African countries.

The entrepreneur subsequently established Zinox Technologies, which became one of Africa’s first Microsoft WHQL- and Intel-certified computer manufacturers.

According to him, the investment was driven by the determination to demonstrate that African companies could manufacture technology products to international standards.

“We were not just building computers. We were building a statement that Africa could manufacture to global standards because we had the passion, experience and capacity, and believed the risk was worth taking,” he said.

He added that Zinox helped demystify and domesticate technology in Nigeria, enabling the company to execute critical projects in Nigeria and other African countries.

However, Ekeh acknowledged that building a prominent business in Nigeria came with considerable challenges, including what he described as controversial patronage, corporate blackmail and other pressures confronting successful entrepreneurs.

Describing Nigeria as a country that had both “blessed and bruised” him, he said such experiences could discourage entrepreneurs from undertaking ambitious business ventures.

“Fear will always have a voice, but it must not have a vote. The road less travelled is less travelled for a reason. It is harder. It is lonelier. But it is worth it,” he said.

Ekeh promised to provide a fuller account of his entrepreneurial journey in a forthcoming book expected before the end of 2027.

Turning to women’s participation in technology, he described women as critical drivers of national prosperity and urged them to take advantage of opportunities to shape industries, build businesses and influence economic development.

He highlighted Zinox Group’s investment in developing female technology professionals through TD Africa Distributions Ltd, one of Africa’s largest technology distribution companies.

Through its TecHerdemy initiative, he said, the company has trained more than 1,000 women in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, software development, data science and professional etiquette.

Many of the beneficiaries now occupy leadership positions across the technology ecosystem, while women also lead several business units within the Zinox Group.

Ekeh urged women to combine courage, competence and determination in pursuing leadership opportunities, particularly in industries traditionally dominated by men.

He stressed that leadership should extend beyond personal accomplishments to creating opportunities and pathways for others to succeed.

The International Women Leadership Conference brought together women founders, corporate executives and industry leaders from Africa and other parts of the world to discuss leadership, economic participation and women’s growing influence in business and technology.

ITPulse is a wholly information technology communication (ICT) news website, with a special focus on the African continent. The website provides up-to-date biz-tech news, analysis and comprehensive and thorough insight into the continent’s ICT terrain

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