Get Guardian on GoogleForemost technology entrepreneur and Chairman of Zinox Group, Leo Stan Ekeh, has revealed that his decision to establish a technology company in Nigeria more than three decades ago was considered “corporate suicide” at the time.
He made the disclosure while addressing over 600 global women leaders at the International Women Leadership Conference (TIWLC) in Dubai, convened by the Ibukun Awosika Leadership Foundation.
Speaking on the theme: ‘Losing the Fear’, Ekeh recounted how he returned to Nigeria after his studies abroad to find his peers gravitating toward banking, oil, and gas, while technology was dismissed as a foreign pursuit.
Despite discouragement, he chose to follow his passion, believing that technology held the master key to unlocking Africa’s future. “I chose the road not taken,” he told the audience. “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 described years of hardship, surviving on one meal a day and sleeping in a cramped office space. His vision, however, was clear: to create a Nigerian and African IT identity. He launched Task Systems Limited over 35 years ago, pioneering desktop publishing and computer graphics in Nigeria.
At its debut event in Ikeja’s Sheraton Hotel, he declared: “No country can claim to be independent without technology independence.” The Nigerian media embraced his vision, helping drive the computerisation of nearly all media houses in Nigeria and beyond.
His boldest move came with the founding of Zinox Technologies, which became one of Africa’s first Microsoft WHQL- and Intel-certified computer manufacturers.
“We were not just building computers,” Ekeh said. “We were building a statement that Africa could manufacture to global standards.” With Zinox, he argued, Nigeria demystified technology and proved capable of handling critical projects across the continent.
He admitted Nigeria had “blessed and bruised” him, citing controversial patronage, corporate blackmail, and the challenges of building a visible business in a tough environment. These realities, he said, explain why many African billionaires shy away from enduring the difficulties of enterprise building.
“Fear will always have a voice,” he told the women leaders. “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.”
Highlighting his commitment to women in technology, Ekeh pointed to TD Africa Distributions Limited’s TecHerdemy initiative, which has trained over 1,000 women in cybersecurity, AI, software development, and data science. Many of these women now hold leadership roles across the tech ecosystem. He also noted that women occupy strategic positions within the Zinox Group, including several female chief executives.
Ekeh assured the audience that he would tell his full story in a forthcoming book before 2027. He concluded by urging women to embrace courage, competence, and determination, reminding them that they hold the keys to national prosperity in this century.
