News
Zinox, Doing Good with CSR
Zinox, Doing Good with CSRCorporate social responsibility (CSR) is a massive bandwagon; generating both accolades and cynicism.
But when it comes to a local company doing extraordinary things without expectation of recognition, it shows extraordinary determination to push the society a little further on towards the heights of excellence.
And while many organizations and institutions feel deeply frustrated with the government and indeed the country, this company remain convinced that the fundamental structure must be underpinned for generations yet unborn.
It is the story of the exceptional corporate social responsibility initiatives of Zinox Group, the proudly Nigerian IT conglomerate.
It is a story of placing the country first; of sticking with the society through thick and thin; and of giving back to men and women that have helped the company grow.
CSR is an integral part of the Zinox Group’s development policy. It is part of the everyday life of the company.
Its objective is to allow the Group pursue sustainable yet profitable growth while having a positive impact on the society in which it develops.
For instance, the Group donated items worth over N50 million to the Lagos State Government.
These items include ; four units of fully equipped Security Vans, 150 units of Digital Radio, 150 units of Digital Solar lamp and 150 units of solar torch meant to enhance the efficiency and digital comfort of the Police and other security organizations in Lagos State while on duty.
Zinox Group also made the same intervention in Imo State that cuts across security, digital equipment, Information and Communication Technology development for school pupils and training for teachers. It is also spending N50 million in the state.
The company’s CSR which is championed by Leo-Stan Ekeh, the chairman of the group and enthusiastically embraced by the board of directors and staff also targets the younger generation.
The company is to use four schools in Lagos state as Digital Content Centres for its new digital Product – the Zinox Whizkid Ver. 11, which has helped many students to achieve excellent result in GCE, WASCE, JAMB and Post UME nationwide.
Ekeh said Zinox will deploy the equipment and content, train the teachers in its digital laboratory in Gbagada, Lagos and certify them ready to challenge the best teachers in the world.
Zinox has a history of a responsible corporate citizenship in Lagos beginning with the equipping of a digital laboratory at the Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu.
It has upgraded and tarred of the Redemption Crescent, Gbagada; aroused competition in mathematics for pupils in Primary 4; donated computers to many schools in Lagos State including Queens College, Yaba, and Archbishop Aggey Memorial Secondary School, Mushin; trained four budding entrepreneurs in the Spirit of the True Nigerian Entrepreneur, SoTNE and settled medical bills of many patients.
In Imo State, the group is a household name where it has touched many lives.
It recently topped it up with an intervention that cuts across security, digital equipment, Information and Communication Technology development for school pupils and training for teachers and worth N50 million.
The donation include four security vans, 150 Jonta flash lights, 150 self-charging digital lanterns, and 150 I-Max radio sets that would help support the security monitoring responsibility of the state.
Ekeh said his group of companies primarily concerned with knowledge development and building a new generation of Nigerians would also donate digital knowledge content encapsulated in the Zinox Whizkid Version 2 to four schools in the state.
This content would make kids from public schools better, while enhancing the overall academic performance of the underserved.
Elsewhere, in support of structured overall social development of Imo state, Zinox released some N10milion a few months ago to the Imo Foundation set up by Governor Rochas Okorocha.
The Group has a tradition of executing major CSR every five years outside its annual commitments in the spirit of Zinox.
The company had built and equipped digital laboratories at the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede; Imo State University; Federal University of Technology, Owerri; and some secondary schools in the state.
There is no geo-political zone in the country that has not been touched by Zinox interventions in tertiary, secondary and primary education since the company’s interest is in capacity building has benefitted scores of Imo indigenes in the form of scholarships at all levels of education, including post graduate education in world class European and American universities.
Zinox CSR is intensely focused on the building of capacities for the growth of a knowledge society and equipping Nigeria to host complex events.
From Katsina to Awka and from Markudi to Ikorodu, Zinox is strategic interventions aimed at building capacities.
It has used CSR as a way to motivate all employees – starting at the lowest level of the organization because as part of its internally-focused initiative, the Zinox Group offer scholarships to the children of all its employees who earn less than N1milion as gross salary per annum.
In simple terms, Zinox is pro-active towards “doing good”.
The UK Government has announced the appointment of Mr Peter Vowles as the next British High Commissioner to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Mr Vowles succeeds Dr Richard Montgomery CMG and is expected to take up his post in Abuja in September 2026. Dr Montgomery remains in post until that time.
Mr Vowles brings extensive diplomatic and development experience to the role, having served as His Majesty’s Ambassador to Zimbabwe from 2023 to 2026 and previously as Ambassador to Myanmar from 2021 to 2022.
He has held senior leadership positions across the FCDO and its predecessor department DFID, including as Transformation Director and Director for Asia, Caribbean and Overseas Territories.
Earlier in his career, Mr Vowles worked in international development across South Asia, Central Africa and East Africa, including postings in Bangladesh, India, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya. He began his career in Zimbabwe, where he worked in education and development.
Peter Vowles said: “I am honoured to be appointed as British High Commissioner to Nigeria. Nigeria is a country of immense importance to the United Kingdom, and I look forward to working closely with Nigerian partners to strengthen our relationship across trade, development and security.”
World Bank has ranked the Apapa and Tin Can Island Port complexes in Lagos among the world’s 20 most improved ports in its 2025 Container Port Performance Index (CPPI), released in June 2026.
The ranking places both ports in the “Top 20 Port Improvement Since 2020” category, reflecting significant gains in operational efficiency and vessel turnaround time.
The CPPI is a global benchmark used to assess the efficiency of container ports based on factors such as cargo handling speed, ship turnaround time and overall logistics performance.
According to the report, the improvement highlights ongoing reforms and modernization efforts within Nigeria’s maritime sector.
The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mr Abubakar Dantsoho, attributed the recognition to ongoing policy reforms and infrastructure upgrades in the sector.
He said the development reflects the impact of economic policies of President Bola Tinubu and the support of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola.
“With the investor-friendly policies of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu providing the impetus for increased investment to drive our port infrastructure and equipment modernisation programme, coupled with the unflinching support of the Honourable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, we have all it takes to further enhance trade facilitation, improve competitiveness and boost the national economy,” he said.
The NPA said the recognition is expected to strengthen investor confidence in Nigeria’s maritime sector and enhance the country’s position as a regional trade and logistics hub.
It noted that improvements in port operations are already contributing to increased efficiency in cargo movement and reduced delays at key terminals.
The authority also pointed to ongoing efforts to modernise port infrastructure and expand digital systems aimed at improving service delivery.
Earlier in February 2026, the NPA said the federal government had intensified efforts to position Nigeria as a leading maritime destination through port rehabilitation and modernization projects.
It also highlighted public-private partnership initiatives, including developments at the Lekki Deep Sea Port, as part of broader reforms aimed at improving efficiency and attracting investment.
The CPPI ranking is expected to further boost Nigeria’s maritime profile and encourage additional investment in the sector.
As digital payment adoption continues to grow across Nigeria and emerging markets, the next phase will depend not just on innovation, but on the strength, reliability, and trustworthiness of the infrastructure behind it.
While the ecosystem has made clear progress in recent years, trust remains a critical issue for users, businesses, and operators alike. Questions around resilience, security, interoperability and transaction reliability continue to shape how the market evolves and how confidently digital payments can scale.
These issues will be central to the deliberations at Digital Pay Expo 2026, where fintech leaders, payment operators, and other ecosystem stakeholders will gather under the theme, “Seamless Digital: Fostering Pan-African Market Expansion in the Era of AI.”
PalmPay’s participation reflects its continued commitment to building trusted and scalable payment infrastructure, while contributing to the broader industry efforts to strengthen systems, standards, and partnerships needed to support long-term ecosystem growth.
Speaking ahead of the event, Olorunfemi Hanson, Head of Marketing and Communications at PalmPay Nigeria, said: “As the financial services ecosystem continues to grow, trust and reliability become even more important.
“The industry’s next phase will be shaped not only by innovation, but by the strength of the infrastructure supporting it. Digital Pay Expo provides an important platform to address the resilience, interoperability, and trust issues that will shape the future of digital payments growth across Africa.”
The event, scheduled to be held from the 17th to the 18th of June, 2026, will feature Chika Nwosu, Managing Director of PalmPay Nigeria, alongside other distinguished guests, including the Director-General, Payment System Management Department (PSMD), Central Bank of Nigeria. The event will examine how the industry can balance innovation, regulation, and scalability while strengthening trust across the digital payments value chain.
For PalmPay, this event reinforces its role in supporting a more resilient, secure and scalable payments ecosystem for Nigeria and emerging markets more broadly.
Nigeria Launches FreeTV Nationwide
NIPOST Plans Digital Postcodes for Every Building in Nigeria
Enugu to Host The Gathering on 100 as MTN-Backed Youth Movement Expands Across Nigeria
Prof. Dzidonu Urges Universities to Produce Deep Thinkers for AI Age
FG Debunks Claims of Plans to Introduce Telecoms, Fuel Taxes
CBN Extends PoS Geo-Fencing Enforcement Deadline to August 2026
NCC Drafts New Rules for Virtual Mobile Operators
FG Targets Alleged N3tn Capital Flight, Opens Airtime Credit Market to Nigerian Fintechs
London Strengthens Global Investment Ties with Africa @ First Ever London-Africa Business Summit
Easybuy Partners WAWUAfrica to Upskill 10 Million Youths and Women, Boosting Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Inclusion
Telecom2 days agoMTN Foundation Commits N32Bn in Projects across Nigeria
E-Financial3 days agoCBN Orders Banks, Fintechs to Host Payment Data Locally
E-Business3 days agoGalaxy Backbone @ 20, Pledges Nationwide Connectivity, Data Sovereignty
E-Financial3 days agoAnalysts Warn of Growing “Crowded Trade” in Foreign Exchange Markets
E-Financial2 days agoIMF Warns of New Risks for Monetary Policy over $59Bn Crypto Inflows into Nigeria
News3 days agoPalmPay Joins Industry Leaders @ Digital Pay Expo 2026
E-Financial3 days agoACAMB Kicks-off 30th Anniversary Celebration With Tree Planting Initiative
Telecom3 days agoUK Bans TikTok, Instagram, Facebook for Under-16s in Landmark Crackdown