Follow Us on Google
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”
—Mark Twain
By Enyeribe Ejiogu
Joel Baker put it very well, when he said: “Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision coupled with action can change the world.”
Again, American basketball all-time superstar, Michael Jordan, offered his perspective on vision: “I visualised where I wanted to be, what kind of player I wanted to become. I knew exactly where I wanted to go, and I focused on getting there.”
Jordan could well have spoken about the Chairman of Zinox Group, Leo-Stan Ekeh, who knew exactly where he was going, when he took the decision to return to Nigeria in the early 80s.
Back then, compugraphic typesetting was the rave in the United States, but typesetting in Nigeria was still in the dark ages. Being a smart person with an entrepreneurial third eye, Ekeh saw an opportunity to introduce compugraphic typesetting in Nigeria.
He set up Task Systems Limited in Ikeja and actively marketed the service to publishers of magazines and other special publications that needed a touch of excellent visual appeal. One of his customers was late Dr. Kenneth Ukegbu, a medical doctor, who was running Biographical Centre of Nigeria, along with his elder brother, Hector Ukegbu, chief executive of the then Tropics International, Inc, based in Houston, Texas, USA.
With focus, diligence, commitment to purpose, financial prudence and marketing savvy, Ekeh built Task Systems Limited into the go-to company, which banks and other corporate bodies relied on for information technology products and services as they embarked on their drive to transition from analogue office devices to the use of digital workplace tools in the mid-80s.
Fast forward to October 9, 2001, the day that Ekeh presented the Zinox computer to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, at Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos, Nigeria. That marked a significant milestone in the tech history of Nigeria. In that very moment, the Zinox computer encoded with the Naira symbol became the country’s first indigenous computer that is internationally certified. It was a fulfilment of his vision to boost local technology and also contribute to the country’s GDP through export to the ECOWAS sub-region and other parts of Africa.
In an interview, he once noted that encoding the Naira symbol into the operating system of the Zinox computer is the primary reason his company proudly and justifiably asserts that the brand is “Nigeria’s Digital Identity.” It is no surprise, therefore, that he is incontestably known as the “Computer Village Giant” on account of his strong and widespread influence in Nigeria’s tech industry. Leo-Stan Ekeh is without doubt a dominant personality and leading figure in Nigeria’s IT space.
With visionary leadership, at the dawn of the second millennium, he actively promoted information technology adoption under the aegis of the Computerise Nigeria Project, which aimed to put a desktop on every table and a laptop in the hands of executives. While that initiative lasted, a good number of media houses took advantage of the offer and facilitated the acquisition of the Zinox laptop by their reporters and other editorial staff.
Globally respected authority on Marketing, Phillip Kotler, explains that “growth is the one thing that happens when a corporate start-up is well managed and driven to identify, develop and dominate new markets with excellent offerings.”
Other News
Apparently heeding this advice, Ekeh established Technology Distributions Limited, TD, which is regarded as the largest information technology distribution company in West Africa. It has made technology more accessible, and in the process empowered millions of Nigerians to deploy digital devices in their wealth creation drives with optimized effort and at reduced cost. With just a laptop and internet access youths with IT skills have become wealth creators and employers in the different aspects of the broad IT space.
The intrinsic capacity of IT skills to turn youths into economically engaged and useful citizens informed the collaboration between the Imo State Government and Ekeh’s Zinox Group, to actualise the purpose of the SkillUp programme of the Governor Hope Uzodimma administration under which over 20,000 so far have undergone IT skills training. After the successful completion of the training, over 10,000 of the trainees have been empowered with laptops to enable them start up small business ventures offering graphics design and other IT services.
It is noteworthy to enumerate some of the other achievements of Ekeh through the Zinox Group. ITEC Solutions Limited has delivered large-scale IT solutions to the domestic market.
Established in 2001, Zinox Technologies Limited, produces locally assembled computers, reducing Nigeria’s reliance on imported technology.
The Leo Stan Ekeh Foundation is championing digital literacy, donating computers and ICT equipment to schools and establishing digital libraries.
He has demonstrated commitment to empowering women, aiming to produce 10,000 female tech professionals in five years, through initiatives like TD Africa’s TecHerdermy programme.
Ekeh’s single-minded drive and dedication in expanding the boundaries of technology and deepening adoption of the same has made Nigeria become a contender in the global digital economy. Clearly, he has inspired a new generation of innovators and entrepreneurs to embrace technology as the best way to give expression to the yearnings of their heart to create enterprises in the tech space.
With him, philanthropy is not donating motorcycles to young, employed men and women. Rather, he prioritises deepening tech knowledge among youths
Through the Leo Stan Ekeh Foundation (LSEF), he has donated state-of-the-art training centres to several universities, including Imo State University (IMSU), St. Augustine University, Epe, Lagos, and Federal University Birnin Kebbi. These centres are equipped with cutting-edge technology, including All-in-One Zinox Computers, Tablets, and Smart Boards, providing students with hands-on experience and access to quality training and mentorship.
Specifically, at the LSEF Centre at IMSU, he empowered 200 students with free Zinox Tablet PCs and cash incentives, fostering their entrepreneurial journey. Top-performing students will receive interest-free loans of at least N1,000,000 to launch their own businesses.
The LSEF Centre offers training programmes tailored to meet the evolving needs of today’s workforce, including Finishing School, Entrepreneurship Boost Training, and specialized courses in Technology and Artificial Intelligence.
Equipped with sound digital skills, young will build successful enterprises.
One glaring example is Konga, a huge e-commerce platform headed by his son, Prince Nnamdi Ekeh, won two prestigious awards in Britain. The awards were given in recognition of Konga’s outstanding achievements in digital transformation, e-commerce, and financial technology.
Specifically, Konga received the Distinguished EuroKnowledge Award for Emerging Leadership in Digital Transformation and the Forbes Best of Africa E-commerce Leadership Award 2025. These awards acknowledge Konga’s commitment to excellence, innovation, and customer satisfaction, as well as its contributions to the growth and development of Nigeria’s retail sector. Again, in 2023, Konga won HP’s Retail Supplies Partner of the Year Award.
