Africa’s foremost tech icon and Chairman of Zinox Group, Leo Stan Ekeh, who turns 70 on February 22, has explained why he will not mark his milestone with a lavish celebration. Instead, he is offering university scholarships to 1,000 indigent Nigerian students to study Computer Science in federal universities across the country.
Ekeh said the initiative is aimed at producing a new generation of tech-driven talents to support both the private and public sectors and strengthen Nigeria’s economic growth.
According to him, the beneficiaries – who will not be bonded – are expected to “disrupt the global wealth equation in favour of Nigeria” and help defend the nation’s technological independence. Selection will be based on minimum IQ benchmarks and age criteria nationwide. Beyond academic training, the students will be groomed to become global tech citizens.
Speaking on the phone, Ekeh disclosed that each beneficiary will be assigned a tech mentor from year one, as part of a planned partnership with the Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria and other professional bodies. He added that the students would be meaningfully engaged in various vocations throughout their studies.
Beneficiaries are to be drawn from poor homes, particularly families whose parents earn below Government Grade Level 10 or its private sector equivalent. The first batch is scheduled to commence in September.
“I expect each to earn a first-class degree. This is my group of companies’ and my little way of appreciating my country, individuals and corporates that gave us opportunities in the last 40 years and are still patronising our tech group—Task Systems, TD Africa, Zinox Technologies, Konga, among others,” he said.
“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,” he added.
A private individual not known for flamboyant celebrations, Ekeh said he opted for the scholarship scheme over a mega birthday party in order to invest in world-class tech human capital that can drive Nigeria’s future.
“We need quality and tech-savvy wiz-kids who can drive the future of government and e-governance and become change-makers in the private sector,” he said.
Reflecting on Nigeria’s development prospects, he noted that the country must urgently prepare for imminent technological disruptions.
“Frankly, I don’t see enough Nigerian tech wiz-kids who can defend the massive development anticipated in the next five to 10 years in oil and gas, banking, agriculture, manufacturing, mining, entertainment and the public sector. 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 determines your profit level and how far your country and corporations can grow in this second quarter of the 21st century and beyond,” he said.
Ekeh, who was decorated by former President Olusegun Obasanjo as “Icon of Hope” on Independence Day in 2003 for his tech-driven impact on Nigeria’s economy and youth development, said the future is “fragile and disruptive.”
“It’s either you are something or nothing at all. No middle ground. Technology is realistically the only profession today that can alter the destiny of brilliant and humble kids from poor families and position them as major wealth creators and sustainers,” he said.
He revealed that his autobiography, detailing his journey, will be published in the last quarter of 2027.
On the cost of the scholarship project, Ekeh described it as a “spirit-driven” initiative that will run into billions of naira annually. He said the Zinox Group remains committed to the programme alongside other social responsibility projects, including TD Africa’s 10-year initiative to produce 10,000 female tech experts – of which 400 have already graduated and secured employment in various corporate organisations.
The full details of the scholarship package, he disclosed, will be unveiled online on April 22, 2026.
Beyond this initiative, Ekeh’s philanthropic footprint spans over four decades. Through the Leo Stan Ekeh Foundation and companies under the Zinox Group, he has trained more than 3,000 Nigerians and donated tech centres to over 25 institutions nationwide.
In the past two years, the Foundation established entrepreneurship centres at St. Augustine University, Epe; the Federal University, Birnin Kebbi; and Imo State University (IMSU). The centres focus on upskilling young Nigerians, transforming them from job-seekers into job creators.
At IMSU, about 200 beneficiaries completed a three-month entrepreneurship acceleration programme facilitated by experts from Nigeria, the United States and the United Kingdom. Participants received stipends to cover transportation, brand-new Z-pad tablets to support their training, and, in some cases, interest-free loans to launch their businesses.
Ekeh, a devout Catholic and former mass server and chorister at his local church in Ubomiri, Imo State, is also known for building a church and rectory in his community. He often attributes his success to divine grace and discipline.
For the Forbes Best of Africa Leading Tech Icon, the 1,000-student scholarship scheme is only a fraction of his quiet philanthropic interventions across the continent—many of which, associates say, are carried out without media attention.
As he turns 70, Ekeh appears less interested in celebration and more focused on what he describes as securing Nigeria’s digital future- one brilliant mind at a time.