{"id":6173,"date":"2026-11-09T11:17:34","date_gmt":"2026-11-09T11:17:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/?p=6173"},"modified":"2026-11-09T22:09:49","modified_gmt":"2026-11-09T22:09:49","slug":"leo-stan-ekeh-at-tiwlc-dubai-urges-women-leaders-to-choose-corporate-suicide-over-safe-path","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/?p=6173","title":{"rendered":"Leo Stan Ekeh, at TIWLC Dubai, urges women leaders to choose &#8216;corporate suicide\u2019 over safe path"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>*<strong><em>Leo Stan Ekeh, Africa\u2019s tech icon and Chairman of Zinox Group, shares his personal experience regarding his bold decision to build a technology company in Africa with an international gathering of women leaders at The International Women Leadership Conference, held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect<\/p>\n<p>Leo Stan Ekeh, Africa\u2019s tech icon and Chairman of Zinox Group, has shared his personal experience with an international gathering of women leaders regarding his decision to build a technology company in Africa.<\/p>\n<p>Ekeh said he established the tech company at a time when the sector was virtually non-existent on&nbsp; the African continent, an uncommon decision that amounted to what he described as \u201ccorporate suicide\u201d.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"8Ycu8QdJf9\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/?p=6187\">Nigerian consumers urge marketers to reduce fuel prices over impact on households, businesses<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"\u201cNigerian consumers urge marketers to reduce fuel prices over impact on households, businesses\u201d \u2014 Consumer Experience Is A Top Priority\" src=\"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/?p=6187&amp;embed=true#?secret=8OBdZTFcZA#?secret=8Ycu8QdJf9\" data-secret=\"8Ycu8QdJf9\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Speaking on the theme: \u201cLosing the Fear\u201d, 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\u2019s conference, addressed over 600 women industry leaders from different countries across the globe.<\/p>\n<p>The ICT icon 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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>According to Ekeh, he subsequently, opted for a postgraduate degree in Risk Management before pursuing a Master\u2019s degree in Business Law (LLM) at London Guildhall University, in the United Kingdom (UK).<\/p>\n<p>He also recalled that he could not sit his final law examinations because he had diverted his tuition fees into his passion for technology entrepreneurship.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Parents, others considered&nbsp; visionary move as &#8216;corporate suicide\u2019, says Ekeh<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ekeh further disclosed that he had fended off recruitment attempts by international technology companies that had sought to hire him before his return to Africa.<\/p>\n<p>He told the gathering: \u201cI chose the road not taken.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was corporate suicide in the eyes of my parents and many others.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I lost the fear because I believed technology was the master key that would unlock possibilities for Nigeria and Africa.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>According to him, his vision was to create a Nigerian and, by extension, an African IT identity.<\/p>\n<p>Recalling the launch of his first company, Task Systems Limited, over 35 years ago, the company that pioneered desktop publishing and computer graphics in Nigeria.<\/p>\n<p>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: \u201cNo country can claim to be independent without technology independence.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The role of Nigerian media in activating tech vision<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Giving further into how he waded through the journey he said the Nigerian media embraced the vision, describing him as a \u201cmiracle child\u201d and supporting the company\u2019s roadmap.<\/p>\n<p>This, he noted, contributed to the computerisation of over 97 percent of media and multimedia houses in Nigeria, as well as in other African countries.<\/p>\n<p>He further explained that the decision to establish Zinox Technologies, which became one of Africa\u2019s first Microsoft WHQL- and Intel-certified computer manufacturers, was driven by the need to give Nigeria and Africa a global technology identity.<\/p>\n<p>He stated: \u201cWe were not just building computers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe 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.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Ekeh said the government and people of Nigeria celebrated him and his company.<\/p>\n<p>He said: &#8220;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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Life lessons from Nigerian business environment <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ekeh, however, did not present the tech entrepreneurial journey as a smooth one.<\/p>\n<p>He told the women at the global forum that Nigeria had both \u201cblessed and bruised\u201d him.<\/p>\n<p>Ekeh spoke about what he described as controversial patronage, corporate blackmail, and the battles that come with building a visible business in a challenging environment. These experiences explain why several billionaires in Africa may be unwilling to endure the difficulties associated with building businesses, and may struggle to defend their wealth, stated he.<\/p>\n<p>The tech expert averred: \u201cFear will always have a voice.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>How women hold keys to national prosperity<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Assuring the women that he would tell the full story in his forthcoming book before the end of 2027, Ekeh reminded the women that they hold the comprehensive keys to national prosperity in this second quarter of the 21st Century.<\/p>\n<p>He equally highlighted his group\u2019s investment in women in technology.<\/p>\n<p>According to him, TD Africa Distributions Limited, one of Africa\u2019s 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, ge noted.<\/p>\n<p>The Chairman of Zinox Group emphasised that women also occupy strategic positions within the conglomerate, including several female Chief Executives leading business units.<\/p>\n<p>Addressing the women at the conference, Ekeh encouraged them to recognise their capacity to shape industries, create opportunities and influence the future.<\/p>\n<p>His message resonated with the wider conversation around women\u2019s leadership, economic participation and the need for greater representation in sectors traditionally dominated by men.<\/p>\n<p>Ekeh as well underscored the importance of courage, competence and determination, particularly for women seeking to break barriers in business and technology.<\/p>\n<p>Leadership goes beyond personal achievement; it involves creating pathways through which others can advance, stated he.<\/p>\n<p>The conference, convened by the Ibukun Awosika Leadership Foundation, attracted women Founders, Executives and first-time Managing Directors from across Africa and beyond.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>*Leo Stan Ekeh, Africa\u2019s tech icon and Chairman of Zinox Group, shares his personal experience regarding his bold decision to build a technology company in&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6177,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"Photo Collage of Leo Stan Ekeh, Africa\u2019s Tech Icon and Chairman of Zinox Group, at The International Women Leadership Conference, in Dubai, UAE          Credit: Zinox Group ","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","_customify_content_layout":"","_customify_sidebar":"","_customify_page_header_display":"default","_customify_disable_header":"","_customify_disable_header_top":"","_customify_disable_header_main":"","_customify_disable_header_bottom":"","_customify_disable_page_title":"","_customify_disable_content_vertical_padding":"","_customify_disable_footer_top":"","_customify_disable_footer_main":"","_customify_disable_footer_bottom":"","_customify_breadcrumb_display":"","_customify_header_transparent_display":"default","footnotes":""},"categories":[20,3,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-highlights","category-infoeducation","category-markets"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6173","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6173"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6173\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6270,"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6173\/revisions\/6270"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6177"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}