Nsukka Tech Executives: Driving Innovation and Excellence

 Nsukka, a region celebrated for its academic heritage and vibrant culture, is also making significant strides in the tech industry. At the forefront of this transformation are the tech executives from Nsukka, whose leadership and innovation are shaping the future of technology. These visionaries are leading groundbreaking projects, driving digital transformation, and contributing to the global tech ecosystem while staying rooted in the values and resilience of their Nsukka heritage. In this blog, we spotlight the remarkable achievements and influence of Nsukka's tech executives, showcasing how they are bridging local talent with global opportunities.

𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐡 [𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝, 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐄𝐘]

Wilfred Mamah is a Partner at Ernst & Young (EY), one of the Big Four consulting firms, where he currently leads the Digital Transformation Unit. He is a seasoned Information Technology and business executive with deep expertise in digital transformation, IT strategy formulation and execution, IT-managed services delivery, IT service management, business continuity and disaster recovery planning, and agile project delivery.

With over 20 years of experience in the IT industry, Wilfred has successfully led major business and technology transformation programs for numerous banks across Nigeria and Africa. His project delivery experience also spans the oil and gas, as well as manufacturing industries.

Wilfred began his career at Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), the Dutch oil giant, as a trainee in January 2002. He joined Broak Bank as a System Administrator in March 2003 and served there until August 2005. In September 2005, he moved to consulting powerhouse Accenture as an Analyst, where he spent 10 years, rising to the position of Senior Manager. In March 2016, he transitioned to Stanbic IBTC, serving as Head of IT Service Delivery and later as Head of Digital Transformation. His stellar performance caught the attention of EY, which appointed him to lead its Digital Transformation Business in October 2022.

An alumnus of Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Wilfred graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical Engineering in 1999. He further enhanced his expertise with oil and gas engineering training at Robert Gordon University and has completed executive courses at both MIT and Stanford University.

𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 Iheaka 𝐢𝐧 𝐈𝐠𝐛𝐨-𝐄𝐳𝐞 South 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐚 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐧𝐮𝐠𝐮 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞, 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚.

 

𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐫. 𝐃𝐫. 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐍𝐧𝐚𝐣𝐢 (𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫 (𝐂𝐈𝐒𝐎), 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚)

Dr. Harrison Nnaji serves as the Group Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at First Bank of Nigeria, where he oversees the cybersecurity strategy, implementation, and execution across Nigeria, six African subsidiaries, and the UK franchise of Nigeria's oldest financial institution.

A highly accomplished cybersecurity strategist, Dr. Harrison brings over 17 years of experience in conceiving, engineering, designing, delivering, operating, and optimizing cybersecurity, data security, and information security capabilities for enterprise-grade environments. His expertise spans diverse industries, including telecommunications, banking, and global IT services.

Dr. Harrison began his career as an IT Systems Engineer at Telnet Nigeria Ltd in October 2004. He later joined iTECO Nigeria as a Support Engineer in October 2005. Between February and October 2007, he worked as a Cisco Pre-Sales Engineer at Redington Nigeria before moving to Celtel Nigeria (later Airtel) as an IT Security Engineer. After Celtel's acquisition, he served as a Security and Access Management Specialist at Airtel from January 2009 to December 2010.

In January 2011, Dr. Harrison joined IBM as a Network and Security Infrastructure Manager, a role he held until May 2014. He was then recruited by the United Bank for Africa (UBA) as Head of IT Security, serving until November 2017. He joined First Bank of Nigeria in December 2017 as Head of Security Engineering and was elevated to Group Chief Information Security Officer in January 2019.

Dr. Harrison is deeply committed to lifelong learning. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the Federal University of Technology, Owerri; a Master’s in Project Management from the University of Lagos; a Master’s in Security Management from the University of Portsmouth; a Master’s in Management from Walden University; a Master’s in Cybersecurity from EC-Council University; a PhD in Management, Leadership, and Organizational Strategy from Walden University; and a second PhD in Offensive Cybersecurity from Capitol Technology University. He is currently pursuing a Master’s in Applied Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at the Open Institute of Technology.

A highly sought-after thought leader in cybersecurity, Dr. Harrison holds numerous leading certifications, including CISSP, CISM, CISA, CEH, CCNP, CCSP, and TOGAF.

𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐫. 𝐃𝐫. 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐍𝐧𝐚𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐤𝐚 𝐍𝐧𝐚𝐣𝐢, 𝐏𝐡𝐃 (𝐱𝟐) (𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐧, 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐥), 𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐍𝐬𝐮𝐤𝐤𝐚 𝐢𝐧 𝐍𝐬𝐮𝐤𝐤𝐚 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐚 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐧𝐮𝐠𝐮 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞, 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚.

𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐬 𝐔𝐠𝐰𝐮 [𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫, 𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲, 𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐤, 𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐲𝐚]

Livinus Ugwu is the Executive Director for Enterprise Architecture, Risk, and Strategy at Equity Bank, Kenya. With over two decades of experience, he has established himself as a leader in IT management, strategy and architecture, roadmap planning, business intelligence and analytics, and governance.

Livinus began his career as Team Lead for Core Banking Applications and Databases, a role he held from December 2005 to September 2009. In October 2007, he joined Keystone Bank as Group Head of Infrastructure, where he served until May 2009. Subsequently, he moved to Diamond Bank, taking on roles as Group Head of Infrastructure and Technology Engineering, and later as Group Head of Enterprise Architecture and IT Governance, from June 2009 to April 2019. In May 2019, Nova Bank recruited him as Chief Information Officer. He later transitioned to Equity Bank in Nairobi, where he currently serves as an Executive Director.

Livinus obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Nigeria in 1995 and an MBA from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, in 2001. He also completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Data Science and Business Analytics from Texas Business School.

𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐬 𝐔𝐠𝐰𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐎𝐛𝐮𝐤𝐩𝐚 𝐢𝐧 𝐍𝐬𝐮𝐤𝐤𝐚 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐚 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐧𝐮𝐠𝐮 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞, 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚.

𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐠𝐚𝐝𝐚 [𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫, 𝐈𝐱𝐳𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲]

James Agada is the founder of Ixzdore Laboratory, an innovation, incubation, and consultancy firm dedicated to developing smart technologies and fostering local capacity for building and supporting these solutions. The firm currently operates MakerClub Market Spaces, offering resources and support for technological innovation.

James graduated with First Class Honours in Electronic Engineering from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where he also earned a Master’s degree in Digital Systems. He further pursued an MBA at the University of Navarra, Spain.

In his pursuit of homegrown solutions for Nigeria’s challenges, James founded ExpertEdge Software and Systems. In 1997, ExpertEdge merged with CWG, Nigeria’s largest indigenous ICT company, where James became Executive Director (Software Development and Support) of the newly formed IT conglomerate. He was later promoted to Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of CWG, leading innovative product development and overseeing the firm’s research and development efforts. In January 2016, James was appointed Managing Director and CEO of CWG, a position he held until January 2019, when he stepped down to focus on growing Ixzdore Laboratory. He currently sit on the board of CWG Plc as the Vice Chairman.

James has been an influential leader in Nigeria's technology ecosystem. He served as pro-term president of the Lagos Chapter of the Nigeria Computer Society and received the "Titans of Tech Merit Award" in 2013 from Technology Africa. He is a Fellow of the Nigerian Computer Society, the Institute of Directors, and the Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON).

An avid reader of all forms of literature, James is passionate about applying technology to solve practical problems. He spends considerable time writing articles to inspire young entrepreneurs to create solutions that drive growth and address challenges effectively.

𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐠𝐚𝐝𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐔𝐧𝐚𝐝𝐮 𝐢𝐧 𝐈𝐠𝐛𝐨 𝐄𝐳𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐚 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐧𝐮𝐠𝐮 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞, 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚.

𝐎𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐚 𝐔𝐠𝐰𝐮 [𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫, 𝐏𝐚𝐧-𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐏𝐚𝐲𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦, 𝐂𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐨, 𝐄𝐠𝐲𝐩𝐭]

Ositadimma Ugwu serves as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) in Cairo, Egypt. In this role, he provides strategic and technical leadership for PAPSS’s highly service-oriented IT operations, overseeing the processing, clearing, and settlement of intra-African trade and commerce payments.

With nearly two decades of experience in the financial services and consulting sectors, Ositadimma has built a robust career in IT infrastructure, database management, and technology consulting. He began his professional journey at First Bank of Nigeria as Lead Database and System Administrator, serving from January 2004 to October 2008. He moved to Ecobank International in December 2008 as Senior Database Architect, where he worked until March 2010.

In April 2010, he joined Stanbic IBTC (a member of the Standard Bank Group) as Lead of the Database Planning and Capacity team, a role he held until March 2013. Ositadimma was then hired by IBM to lead the Technology Consulting Business at the African Lab, serving from March 2013 to May 2015. He subsequently joined Dell as a Principal Consultant, specializing in Infrastructure, Cloud, and Big Data, where he worked from June 2015 to December 2017.

In January 2018, Ositadimma returned to the financial services sector as Head of IT Business Enablement at Union Bank of Nigeria. He later rejoined First Bank of Nigeria in July 2019 as Head of IT Operations. His wealth of experience and expertise led to his appointment as CTO of PAPSS in April 2021.

Ositadimma is an alumnus of the University of Nigeria, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. He also holds an MBA from the University of Lagos and a Master of Science in Distributed Systems and Cloud Systems from the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom.

𝐎𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐚 𝐔𝐠𝐰𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐈𝐛𝐚𝐠𝐰𝐚-𝐀𝐧𝐢 𝐢𝐧 𝐍𝐬𝐮𝐤𝐤𝐚 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐚 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐧𝐮𝐠𝐮 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞, 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚.

𝐈𝐤𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐮𝐤𝐰𝐮 𝐌𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐡 [𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫, 𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩]

Ikechukwu Mamah is a seasoned telecommunications expert with nearly two decades of experience in leading impactful IT infrastructure projects. He has been instrumental in delivering some of Nigeria’s most significant and complex IT infrastructure initiatives. These include supporting MainOne's data center infrastructure projects, managing Meta's 2Africa Submarine Cable landing at Qua Iboe, Nigeria, and cultivating new business opportunities while fostering strong relationships with government entities to enhance operational presence.

Ikechukwu began his career as a Field Support Engineer at Reltel Wireless, where he worked from 2004 to 2006. He then joined Laplace Technologies Limited as a Project Manager, serving from May 2007 to May 2013. He moved to Huawei Technologies, a global telecommunications giant, where he managed optical fiber deployment projects between 2013 and 2015.

In 2016, Ikechukwu joined Nigeria’s leading data center and internet service provider, MainOne, as Outside Plant Project Manager. He was promoted to Head of Fiber Planning and Deployment in June 2017 and further elevated to Assistant General Manager in January 2024, reflecting his significant contributions to the company's growth and success.

Ikechukwu holds a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu. He has completed an Executive MBA at Lagos Business School and is currently pursuing an MBA at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom.

𝐈𝐤𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐮𝐤𝐰𝐮 𝐌𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐡 𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐔𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐮 𝐢𝐧 𝐔𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐮 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐚 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐧𝐮𝐠𝐮 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞, 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚.

Celebrating Nsukka's Tech Pioneers

The tech executives from Nsukka are a shining example of innovation, resilience, and leadership. Their achievements highlight the immense potential of the region and its ability to nurture talent that thrives on a global scale. As they continue to push boundaries and create solutions that impact lives, they inspire a new generation of tech enthusiasts and leaders from Nsukka. These pioneers remind us that with vision and determination, the possibilities in the tech world are limitless. We celebrate their success and look forward to seeing their influence grow in the ever-evolving technology landscape.