As he approaches his 70th birthday on February 22, 2026, Leo Stan Ekeh, Chairman of Zinox Group, has chosen national impact over personal celebration.
Rather than hosting a grand event, the technology entrepreneur is committing resources to fund 1,000 university scholarships for indigent students across Nigeria, enabling them to study Computer Science in federal universities. The programme is designed to cultivate a new generation of technology-driven leaders capable of strengthening both the public and private sectors.
According to Ekeh, the beneficiaries “who will not be bonded, shall disrupt global wealth equation in favour of Nigeria and defend our tech independence.”
Who Qualifies and How
The scholarship programme will select beneficiaries through a nationwide assessment focused on minimum Intelligent Quotient (IQ) and age. It is specifically targeted at students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, particularly those whose parents earn below Government Level 10 or its equivalent in the private sector.
Beyond covering tuition, the initiative is structured as a long-term development pipeline. Selected students will receive exposure to global standards, structured mentorship, and multidisciplinary training that extends beyond core technology education.
Speaking in a phone interview, Ekeh said:
“Each shall have a tech mentor from year one, as I plan a partnership with Computer Society of Nigeria and every vocation they shall be engaged resourcefully. Beneficiaries shall be from poor homes and those with parents who earn below Government Level 10 and its equivalent in the private sector.”
“The first batch starts this September, and I expect each to earn first class degree. This is my Group of companies’ and my little way of appreciating my country, individuals and corporates that gave us the opportunities in the last 40 years and still patronizing our Tech Group, Task Systems, TD Africa, Zinox Technologies, Konga etc. If we are successful with this spiritual mandate, I can then celebrate my 100 years on earth with a bang. With God and AI, I am aiming to make 120 years.”
Shaping the Next Generation of Innovators
Ekeh says the initiative reflects his long-standing conviction that technology remains the country’s most viable path to economic transformation. He believes deliberate investment in local digital talent is essential to avoid technological dependence as key sectors expand.
“We need quality and tech-savvy wiz-kids who can drive the future of government and e-governance and those who will become change-makers in the private sector,” he said.
He also warned of the risks of failing to build indigenous expertise capable of managing growth across oil and gas, banking, agriculture, manufacturing, mining, entertainment, and governance over the coming decade.
“I have been blessed and bruised in this country and I thank God. Frankly, I don’t see enough Nigerian tech wiz-kids who can defend the massive development anticipated in the next 5 – 10 years… We are becoming slaves in our own country in a knowledge century which is unfortunate. …only four God-anointed tech wiz-kids can alter the GDP of this country in five years. The man who controls your tech resources decides your profit level and how far your country and corporations can grow in this second quarter of the 21st Century and in future.”
The entrepreneur, who was honoured as “Icon of Hope” by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2003, emphasised the urgency of reshaping Nigeria’s digital future.
“The future is here but very fragile and disruptive, it’s either you are something or nothing at all. No middle ground. We need to alter the digital trajectories of our people. Technology is realistically the only profession in the world today that can alter the destiny of brilliant and humble kids from poor families and position them as huge wealth creators and sustainers.”
“Though I am not really from a very poor family, but I am a testimony and shall tell the whole story in my book that shall be published last quarter of 2027. It shall be most revealing.”
“This is my additional contribution amongst others to appreciate Nigerians, the Federal Government, sub- nationals and corporations that have been supporting my tech commitments and innovations on this side of the Atlantic.”
Decades of Impact in Tech Education
Ekeh described the scholarship programme as a “spirit-driven project,” noting that it will cost billions of naira annually and form part of a broader corporate social responsibility strategy.
“It is a spirit-driven project to thank those who supported and are still supporting companies within the Zinox Group. It has an annual cost that shall run into billions of Naira and my group is committed to it amongst other social responsibility projects like TD Africa Project to produce 10,000 female tech experts out of which 400 have graduated and are fully employed in different corporates in Nigeria. This is a 10-year project with other perks. The full package shall be revealed online on April 22, 2026.”
The scholarship programme adds to decades of human capital development initiatives undertaken by Ekeh and his companies. More than 3,000 Nigerians have received training through various programmes, while technology centres have been donated to over 25 institutions nationwide.
Through the Leo Stan Ekeh Foundation and affiliated organisations, entrepreneurship centres have also been established at St. Augustine University, Epe, Federal University, Birnin Kebbi, and Imo State University, among others. These centres provide training, stipends, mentorship, digital tools, and in some cases interest-free loans to support young entrepreneurs.
The Philosophy Behind the Mission
A devout Catholic from Ubomiri in Imo State, Ekeh has consistently emphasised the importance of balancing profit with purpose. His worldview reflects a belief that business success must be aligned with service to humanity.
At the dedication of a church he built in his hometown, he reflected:
“I come from a lineage of people who served God dedicatedly. I think I am a miracle child… I saw myself as an only Child even though I have siblings and, as an orphan even though my parents were alive… so I decided to take the pain before pleasure alone.”
“I love God and will never hesitate to do anything in the service of God and humanity… As a mark of God’s mercy to me, I pay corporate tithes for all my companies. I didn’t read it in the Bible but I do it.”
He has also attributed his business success to faith and relentless work ethic:
“God is the architect of my success… As an entrepreneur, I have strategised, stayed up late, made projections but if there was no mercy of God and His grace to help me implement these, there will be no success… I work an average of 20 hours a day and near zero holidays and I have no health challenges.”
Ekeh describes the scholarship programme as only “a tiny drop in the ocean” of his broader philanthropic commitments. Yet in a country facing a widening digital skills gap and growing reliance on foreign expertise, the initiative could become a strategic intervention — one aimed at shifting Nigeria from technology consumption toward technological sovereignty.
As artificial intelligence reshapes global economies, Ekeh’s 70th birthday may ultimately be remembered less for the milestone itself and more for the long-term human capital investment he hopes will shape the country’s future.
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