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Africa’s tech icon and Chairman of Zinox Group, Leo Stan Ekeh, has told an international gathering of women leaders that his decision to build a technology company in Africa, at a time when the sector was virtually non-existent on the continent, amounted to what he described as “corporate suicide”.
Speaking on the theme “Losing the Fear”, at The International Women Leadership Conference (TIWLC) in Dubai, organised by the Ibukun Awosika Leadership Foundation, Ekeh, who was a keynote speaker on the final day of this year’s conference, addressed over 600 women industry leaders from different countries across the globe. He said he returned from his studies abroad to a Nigeria where his peers were filing into banking, oil and gas, and where technology was largely seen as a foreign game.
Ekeh, who studied Economics in India, said he was discouraged from pursuing a postgraduate degree in Computer Science in Europe because of the prevailing perception then that Africa might have little need for computers over the next 35 years, potentially leaving him frustrated. He subsequently opted for a postgraduate degree in Risk Management before pursuing a Master’s degree in Business Law (LLM) at London Guildhall University. He recalled that he could not sit his final law examinations because he had diverted his tuition fees into his passion for technology entrepreneurship. He also disclosed that he had fended off recruitment attempts by international technology companies that had sought to hire him before his return to Africa.
“I chose the road not taken,” he told the conference. “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.”
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He said the journey came with considerable hardship, including living on one meal a day for over three years and sleeping in a very small room in his office.
According to him, his vision was to create a Nigerian and, by extension, an African IT identity. Recalling the launch of his first company, Task Systems Ltd, over 35 years ago, the company that pioneered desktop publishing and computer graphics in Nigeria.
At the launch, held at the Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Ekeh recalled addressing an overcrowded hall filled with industry leaders, some of whom were seeing computers for the first time. He told them: “No country can claim to be independent without technology independence.”
He said the Nigerian media embraced the vision, describing him as a “miracle child” and supporting the company’s roadmap. This, he noted, contributed to the computerisation of over 97 per cent of media and multimedia houses in Nigeria, as well as in other African countries.
He further explained that the decision to establish Zinox Technologies, which became one of Africa’s first Microsoft WHQL- and Intel-certified computer manufacturers, was driven by the need to give Nigeria and Africa a global technology identity.
“We were not just building computers,” he said. “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. The government and people of Nigeria celebrated us. With Zinox, we demystified and domesticated technology and were able to handle critical projects in Nigeria and some African countries. This is what innovation is all about.”
Ekeh, however, did not present the journey as a smooth one. He told the women that Nigeria had both “blessed and bruised” him, and spoke about what he described as controversial patronage, corporate blackmail and the battles that come with building a visible business in a challenging environment. He said these experiences explain why many billionaires in Africa may be unwilling to endure the difficulties associated with building businesses and may struggle to defend their wealth.
“Fear will always have a voice,” he said. “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 assured the women that he would tell the full story in his forthcoming book before the end of 2027.
Ekeh, who reminded the women that they hold the comprehensive keys to national prosperity in this second quarter of the 21st century, also highlighted his group’s investment in women in technology.
According to him, TD Africa Distributions Ltd, one of Africa’s biggest technology distribution companies, has, through its TecHerdemy initiative, trained over 1,000 women in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, software development, data science and professional etiquette. Many of the graduates now occupy leadership roles across the technology ecosystem.
He added that women also occupy strategic positions within the Zinox Group, including several female chief executives leading business units.
Addressing the women at the conference, Ekeh encouraged them to recognise their capacity to shape industries, create opportunities and influence the future. His message resonated with the wider conversation around women’s leadership, economic participation and the need for greater representation in sectors traditionally dominated by men.
He underscored the importance of courage, competence and determination, particularly for women seeking to break barriers in business and technology. He also stressed that leadership goes beyond personal achievement; it involves creating pathways through which others can advance.
The conference, convened by the Ibukun Awosika Leadership Foundation, brought together women founders, executives and first-time managing directors from across Africa and beyond.
