News
Leo Stan Ekeh: Thoughts on a digital militant @ 64

By Ray Umukoro
Today, February 22, he turns 64. Trust him, there shall be no buntings, no confetti to celebrate the eventful life of Leo Stan Ekeh, who proved that in spite of her limitations, Nigeria still has a semblance of a free market economy driven by competence and capacity.

Leo Stan Ekeh
He has over the years demonstrated that in the midst of our wonky system complete with cronyism, nepotism and ethno-religious sentiments, there is still a place for hard work; there is still a reward system that recognizes merit above mediocrity.
For about three decades, Ekeh built a business empire from the scratch, from a flat in Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos, which also served as his home.
He built a conglomerate from practically nothing except his raw audacity, integrity and his ability to take the risk even when nobody was willing to go with him.
It’s an uncommon whiff of self-belief that would make a fresh university graduate of top universities in India, Ireland and England to hop into the uncertain train of entrepreneurship when he could easily have walked into a regular white-collar job. And he did that in a sub-sector where many early birds had gone into extinction: Nigeria’s computer industry.
Ekeh typifies the Nigerian spirit of derring-do, gumption and chutzpah. In him, we see the life of an African child who broke all conventions, overawed stereotypes and literally rode the tail of a tiger to confound naysayers who claim Africans rarely triumph within the African soil.
After university education which coursed through India, Ireland and England, young Ekeh was intentional and deliberate about what he wanted to do.
He would not stay back in the UK to join the English hustle. He would return to his fatherland, Nigeria, not to knock the streets in search of job. No.
He would return to create job, create wealth and add value to the lives of others including people his age and even older persons.
He would return to introduce Nigerian youths to a brave new digital world of boundless opportunities. He would return to Nigeria to be his own boss, to create a future for the youths. And he did just that.
He’s the archetypal African child. Gifted in diverse ways, born into a family with a strong pedigree in entrepreneurship but he simply refused to walk in the shadows of his parents. He wanted to define his own path. Like Prometheus in Greek mythology, he was not only gifted with strong personal will, he’s endowed with boundless creative spirit; the rare ability to create solution, solve problems and predict the future by merely using the fundamentals of the present.
When he pioneered desktop publishing in Nigeria, he was only filling a digital gap that existed in the nation’s publishing sector.
In the late 80s and early 90s, publishing in Nigeria was much about the clattering typewriter and the big burly compugraphic machine. Print quality was poor and dingy. Worst of it all, the processes were slow and tacky.
It was a huge technology challenge but none of the existing technology companies could configure a solution for the media.
Ekeh, a freewheeling street-smart and book-wise man in his 30s did. He became the instant interface between Apple Macintosh and Nigerian media including book publishers and advertising agencies. The result of that liaison was the birthing of ready-friendly publications.
In the vast dynamic field of technology, the spirit of Prometheus is writ large among a handful of entrepreneurs.
What with the story of the late Steve Jobs, the man whose innovations gave to mankind another breath of fresh air in the sphere of artificial intelligence. He handed to humanity a different kind of machine.
Then, there was Bill Gates, the Knight of Microsoft; Larry Elisson of Oracle, Reed Hasting of Netflix and Jack Dorsey and his co-founders of Twitter, just to name a few.
These men did not re-invent the wheel. They all rode on the back of the early inventors of the computer and the internet to change for good the way the world transact its many businesses.
These rare Americans have succeeded in making a huge point: America is the home of ICT and the birthplace of ICT entrepreneurs.
So, it was more of bucking the trend when in later years, Asians, particularly Indians and now South Koreans, began to drive their feet into the global ICT matrix.
Going by ICT folklore, India is not an inventor but it is today the outsourcing capital of the world; developer of key software used all around the world.
Out of Africa, one man has over time demonstrated that digital entrepreneurship is not the exclusive preserve of the white man. Leo Stan has proven in clear, unambiguous terms that Nigerians and indeed Africans are also endowed with uncommon ICT entrepreneurial skills.
Born on February 22, 1958 in Ubomiri, Mbaitoli Local Government, Imo State, Ekeh, a devout Catholic, former mass servant and chorister has taken the digital world by storm, building one of the biggest ICT conglomerates out of Africa from a modest desktop publishing outpost or what is commonly called ‘Business Centre’ in local parlance. Today, he straddles a Group with interests extending from ICT to online retail, to property with offices in Africa, United Arab Emirates (Dubai), Europe and Asia.
A moment with Leo Stan leaves you with the clear impression that you are before a rebel, an iconoclast in every positive sense. He wants to change the world around him.
He stirs himself in thought and in deeds. The former Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, must have noticed the restiveness in Ekeh that he christened him a ‘Digital Militant’.
He pursues matters of digitization of Nigeria, nay Africa with a militant spirit: aggressive and unrelenting.
He wants all graduates out of Nigerian schools to be computer-savvy. He desires to see governance run on e-platform. It’s just his nature to see things work efficiently. And he sees technology as the only enabler for efficiency.
In life, whether in business or governance, you have to be a rebel to make a change. Lee Kuan Yew, author of ‘From Third World to First’ and father of modern Singapore acknowledged himself as a rebel who roused the people to pull Singapore out of the hatred they bore against the Japanese for their occupation of Singapore (1942-1945) and from the pains of British colonial rule.
Steve Jobs was to the world what Yew was to the political economy of Singapore and Ekeh to the African ICT industry.
It is the story of positive rebellion. And for his unrelenting commitment to deepening and widening the horizon of ICT in Africa, Leo Stan has won many hearts, accolades, awards and honours.
He is the proud recipient of over 85 awards, by far the most decorated entrepreneur in the nation’s ICT ecosystem.
They include the National Productivity Order of Merit (NPOM) award by President Muhammadu Buhari, Icon of Hope Award by President Olusegun Obasanjo on October 1 , 2002 for his exemplary digital vision and as a role model for modern Nigeria; over six Doctor of Science Degrees(Honoris Causa) from Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), University of Jos, Federal University of Agriculture, Markudi (FUAM), Imo State University (IMSU), among other citadels of learning.
Ekeh is a prophet with honour even among his people. He is a worthy Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) for his transcendental digital entrepreneurship; a Fellow of Nigeria Computer Society and a Distinguished Fellow of the Nigeria Law School. Indeed, his trophy cabinet is a rich mix of global and international awards.
As he marks his birthday today, one can only harvest a bouquet of flowers and place it on the feet of a true African child who has changed the sordid stereotype of Africans being a people unable to pull themselves out of the umbra of darkness.
He is indeed a role model and a beacon of hope for the African youth.
- Umukoro writes from Lagos
News
Tech Alliance Aims to Transform Africa’s Mapping System

Space42, the UAE-based global AI-powered space-tech company, part of technology group G42, this week announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Microsoft and Esri to deliver high-resolution, scalable base maps across all 54 African countries, serving over 1.4 billion people.
Known as the “Map Africa Initiative,” the project will create a comprehensive base map of the continent to date, addressing challenges in infrastructure, investment, and institutional gaps, according to Space24.
The company said the updated mapping system will catalyse economic development through increased access to intelligent solutions that support governments, businesses, and communities.
The five-year collaboration aims to strengthen geospatial capabilities across Africa and the UAE, and provide precise and accessible data to national and regional stakeholders.
Space 24 detailed how the initiative will enable economic opportunities and innovation, saying the program is expected to unlock long-term value across multiple industries including: ports and logistics; renewable energy; security and disaster response; smart cities and digital economies.
It added: “Accurate maps are foundational to urban planning, public services, and technology deployment. The data will be licensed to national governments, enabling ownership and long-term updating by National Mapping Agencies. Over time, the initiative will also support a new commercial ecosystem of African startups. The data will eventually be housed in G42 and Microsoft-managed data centers across the continent.”
Hasan Al Hosani, CEO of Smart Solutions at Space42, said: “Partnership is core to the UAE’s DNA, and is central to how Space42 operates. This collaboration with Microsoft and Esri is more than technical; it’s strategic. It advances Space42’s business priorities, strengthens our role as a trusted partner to governments, and delivers meaningful benefits to communities across Africa.
“Accurate, high-quality mapping and the intelligence solutions built on it are essential for growth, resilience, and inclusive innovation. With reliable data, communities and economies prosper.”
While, Jack Dangermond, president of Esri added: “We are proud to support the Map Africa Initiative in partnership with Space42. Transforming satellite imagery into detailed, accurate base maps at continental scale requires advanced geospatial technology and professional production workflows.
“These same capabilities have supported similar national and regional mapping efforts around the world. With Map Africa, we are helping to establish a foundational resource that will drive infrastructure planning, economic growth, and sustainable development across the continent.”
News
Kenya Tops Global Rankings for ChatGPT Use

Kenya has emerged as the global leader in the adoption of ChatGPT, with a higher percentage of its internet users utilizing the AI chatbot than any other country.
According to the July 2025 Global Digital Report from DataReportal and Meltwater, an astounding 42.1% of Kenyan internet users aged 16 and above used ChatGPT in the past month.
This remarkable statistic places Kenya at the forefront of a global shift towards integrating artificial intelligence into daily life, outranking traditionally tech-forward nations such as the United Arab Emirates (42%), Israel (41.4%), Malaysia (39.8%), and Brazil (39.7%). In contrast, major economies like Russia (10.8%), China (7.3%), and Japan (5.8%) showed significantly lower adoption rates.
The report, which provides a comprehensive snapshot of digital trends worldwide, also highlights Kenya’s significant contribution to the platform’s overall traffic. The country is ranked third globally in website traffic to ChatGPT, accounting for 4.81% of all global visits, trailing only the United States and India.
Analysts attribute Kenya’s rapid and widespread adoption of ChatGPT to two primary factors:
- A Young, Tech-Savvy Population: With a median age of just 20, Kenya has one of the youngest populations in the world. This demographic is highly digitally native and has been quick to explore and adopt AI tools for a wide range of purposes, including education, business operations, and content creation.
- High Mobile Internet Penetration: Over 48% of Kenya’s population uses the internet regularly, with the vast majority accessing it via mobile devices. The accessibility of AI tools like ChatGPT on smartphones has been a critical enabler of its adoption, even in semi-urban and rural areas.
The report’s findings come shortly after OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, revealed that the platform now handles over 2.5 billion prompts globally every day. While OpenAI did not provide a breakdown of these prompts by use case, the platform’s popularity for tasks ranging from writing and coding to research and brainstorming is undeniable.
Kenya’s top ranking is a powerful indicator of the country’s dynamic and fast-evolving digital landscape, showcasing an eagerness to embrace cutting-edge technologies and positioning the nation as a key player in the future of AI adoption in Africa.
News
Yahoo Mail Halts Free Storage Service, Caps at 20GB

Yahoo Mail has announced a major shift in its storage policy, slashing the free email storage cap to 20GB and rolling out a new subscription model starting at $1.99 per month for 100GB.
The change, which takes effect immediately, marks a significant downgrade for many long-time users who have grown accustomed to Yahoo’s previously generous storage offering.
In a notice sent to users on Tuesday, the company urged account holders to review their current storage usage and consider paid upgrade options to avoid disruptions.
“Once you reach the 20GB limit, you will no longer be able to send or receive emails unless you either delete existing messages or upgrade your account,” the notice warned.
While access to inboxes will remain intact for now, users will be forced to clean up their accounts or move to a paid tier to maintain full functionality.
Yahoo has unveiled two new storage plans which are 100GB for $1.99/month and 1TB for $9.99/month.
For those seeking a more premium experience, Yahoo is also offering Yahoo Mail Plus, which includes 200GB of storage, an ad-free interface, and additional features. However, users opting for the 100GB and 1TB tiers will still be served ads, a move likely to frustrate those paying for expanded capacity.
To ease the transition, Yahoo is rolling out new tools to help users manage their inboxes more efficiently. These include real-time storage tracking, a usage dashboard, sorting options for large emails, and an attachment manager to help clear out space-consuming files.
Despite the enhancements, the abrupt downgrade has sparked concerns among users, particularly those with email archives spanning more than a decade. Critics argue the change could pressure many into paying for what was previously free, without a proportionate upgrade in value, especially considering ads remain in place for all but the premium Plus tier.
Yahoo’s new model brings it closer to competitors like Gmail, which offers 15GB of free storage shared across Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos. Google’s paid plans also begin at $1.99/month for 100GB, but offer additional benefits such as photo backups and expanded cloud services. Gmail also provides a cleaner experience, with minimal ads even on its free plan.
Yahoo Mail’s new 20GB limit applies exclusively to email storage, a slight advantage for users who don’t rely heavily on broader cloud services. But the real test will be how users respond to the newly imposed constraints and whether the value proposition is strong enough to convert them into paying subscribers.
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