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CWG Boss Gives Commencement Speech @ CEIBS Graduation
The choice of Austin Okere to give the keynote address for the 2012 graduating class at the fourth Executive MBA graduation ceremony of the China Europe International Business School’s Africa Programme at Accra mid-July came as no surprise.
Okere, founder and CEO of the highly successful Computer Warehouse Group, in addition to being a shining example of entrepreneurial success in Africa, has left significant academic footprints in his trial.
He was quite recently appointed as an Entrepreneur in Residence by Columbia Business School, New York.
Okere, guest lectures at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston as well as the Lagos Business School in Nigeria and the United States International University in Kenya.
He has also facilitated the Lean Launch Pad Block Week with serial entrepreneurs Steve Blank and Bob Dorf, co-authors of the bestselling Start-up Owner’s Manual.
The China Europe International business School, established in 1994 as a non-profit joint venture between the European Commission and the Chinese Government has risen to become one of the best Business Schools in the world today, having made the Financial Times Top 30 worldwide for eight consecutive years.
Professor Pedro Nueno, President of CEIBS, who gave the opening remarks, has also been instrumental to setting up five other Business Schools including IESE in Spain, IAE in Argentina, AESE in Portugal, and IPADE in Mexico.
Over the last few decades, Western business schools have increasingly turned their sights on Africa, with dozens of leading schools launching faculty-exchange programs, sending classes on tours of sub-Saharan Africa, and forging partnerships with local schools.
Now a handful of European, Asian, and U.S. schools are taking their involvement in the African management education scene a step further, setting up their own campuses, helping the continent’s emerging economies develop executive MBA and other degree programs, and setting up academic research centers.
The efforts come at a time when the management education scene in Africa has started to heat up, spurred by a growing middle class that is demanding a more Western-style business school experience, said Guy Pfefferman, chief executive officer of the Global Business School Network, a nonprofit formed by the International Finance Corp. to improve the quality of business education in emerging markets.
Making his remarks, Professor Kwaku Atuahene-Gima executive director of the CEIBS Africa Programme noted that CEIBS opened its Ghana program in 2009, conferring a CEIBS degree with no local academic partner, a distinction he claims sets it apart from most Western schools that have entered Africa.
The first executive MBA class enrolled in March of 2009, with 30 students from Ghana and 10 from Nigeria. This fourth cohort graduated 28 students.
The two-year program costs students around $30,000 dollars, about half of what the same degree would cost outside the continent, Atuahene-Gima said.
There are clearly other advantages of pursuing a local Executive MBA degree; for a start, there is no requirement for a long leave of absence where a return to the job may not be guaranteed.
Moreover, Executive MBA students on the continent maintain the local context in the course of their business study, as well as build the necessary network of contacts that may well be relatively more relevant in the course of their careers.
The rash of business schools into Africa is not without its skeptics though.
According to Walter Baets, Director of the University Of Cape Town Graduate School Of Business, it seems Africa, must brace itself for another wave of colonisation.
This time he contends, it is “western-style” business schools that, after ignoring Africa for decades, are now flocking to its shores with enthusiasm.
Almost without exception, these incoming schools talk about bringing pre-existing European/US models to Africa as if this will be the answer to all of the continent’s problems.
None, it seems, has paused to consider whether Africa really will benefit from what they are offering, or if they are missing an opportunity to create something better. We can achieve more by working together and respecting multiple perspectives than we can by merely replicating past models in new contexts Mr. Baets contended.
There are currently no business schools in sub-Saharan Africa that are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), one of the leading accreditation agencies, said Jerry Trapnell, AACSB’s vice-president and chief accreditation officer. In West Africa, only two Business Schools have international accreditations: CEIBS through EQUIS and the Lagos Business School through IESE.
Okere’s key message, aptly titled‘this is our time’, highlighted entrepreneurship opportunities in Africa and the need to urgently equip ourselves to take full advantage.
According to Okere “It is better to have a thousand millionaires than ten billionaires. It is better still to have a million people with access to a hundred thousand dollars, if they can be taught how to nurture and grow it through entrepreneurial endeavor”. He continued, “I like to put the story of the Computer Warehouse Group out there because such success stories contribute immensely to the attraction of capital to the region, which combined with the entrepreneurial acumen and the youthful population unleashes waves of economic boom”.
According to him, Africa has a rapidly growing young population, which could bring a democratic dividend if optimally tapped, or constitute a source of social unrest, if millions of Africans continue to enter the labour market without any hope of employment. Entrepreneurship, he declared, is the catalyst for economic growth as it provides the most viable vehicle for job creation.
His passion for entrepreneurial advocacy he says stems from his desire to see the Human Capital gainfully engaged through sustainable Start Ups rather than chasing non-existent jobs.
To buttress his point, Okere cited a survey of 3,692 MIT alumni who graduated between 1987 and 2007.
The survey results showed that 40% of respondents have started their own companies, with 70% doing so within five years of graduation. 41% of PhD alumni have a patent or invention.
In his view, this could not have been possible without the strong entrepreneurship education and encouragement that America offers.
He charged the fresh MBA Graduates to go out there and leave their footprints in the sands of time, having received the crucial empowerment.
Other Speakers included Mr. Gong Jianzhong, Chinese ambassador to Ghana, Mrs Mary Brown, deputy managing director of Prudential Bank/CEIBS Alumni representative, and Dr Marisa Del Pozo, Professor at Complutense University.
The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE, has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to open governance, transparency and inclusive digital development as the Open Government Partnership (OGP) team formally presented the award and certificate received at the OGP Global Summit Spain 2025 to the Agency’s leadership.
Nigeria emerged as the overall global winner in the Digital Governance category in recognition of the country’s excellence in deploying digital tools and policies to strengthen government transparency, accountability, and citizen engagement. In addition, Nigeria received the Regional Award for advancing Open Digital Governance across Africa and the Middle East, reaffirming its leadership role in promoting open government principles and driving digital transformation across the region.
These recognitions were largely attributed to initiatives led by NITDA in collaboration with civil society partners, such as Dataphyte, which showcased innovative and inclusive approaches to digital governance at the summit.
The summit, which was organised in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, brought together more than 1,500 high-level representatives of governments, civil society leaders, and policymakers from around the world to exchange experiences, best practices, and progress on open government initiatives and implementation on key issues.
Receiving the OGP delegation at NITDA, Inuwa described the recognition as a national honour rather than an institutional one, stressing that the award reflects Nigeria’s collective efforts across government, civil society and the private sector in advancing open governance principles through the digital space.
According to him, such global recognition comes with heightened responsibility to deliver on commitments made under the OGP framework.
“This is not just about NITDA. It is a national recognition, and every recognition comes with responsibility,” the DG said.
“If we fail to execute the commitments we have made, it will not only affect our image locally but also at the international stage. This is also not something NITDA can do in isolation,” he added.
Inuwa linked the achievement directly to the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, noting that digital transformation, transparency, economic diversification, job creation and efficient public service delivery remain central presidential priority areas.
He emphasised that leveraging digital technologies to deepen openness and accountability aligns with national objectives of strengthening institutions, improving governance outcomes and building trust between government and citizens.
Highlighting the importance of collaboration, the NITDA boss underscored the role of the OGP platform as a catalyst for a strong multi-stakeholder approach in Nigeria’s digital ecosystem.
He called on civil society organisations, development partners, the private sector and other government institutions to provide technical expertise, guidance and sustained engagement to ensure effective implementation of agreed commitments.
“We need to leverage the OGP platform. We need your expertise, your guidance, your support and your commitment to hand-hold us in delivering on these commitments,” he said.
He further noted that “a multi-stakeholder approach in the digital space is critical to fostering a resilient ecosystem that delivers real value to citizens.”
Inuwa disclosed that NITDA has already begun internal reviews of its OGP commitments and has tasked its representatives, including Dr Rousseau, to work with colleagues to develop a clear execution strategy.
He proposed the creation of joint work streams with OGP stakeholders to support implementation, ensure accountability and keep all parties on track.
“We are humans. Oversight and collaboration help us stay focused. With commitment, nothing is impossible, and I believe these goals are achievable,” he added, assuring the delegation of NITDA’s readiness and political will to deliver on all agreed commitments.
Inuwa also welcomed the idea of engaging the political leadership of OGP, including the Honourable Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, with a view to briefing President Tinubu on the achievement. He noted that celebrating milestones is important, as it reinforces morale and demonstrates that Nigeria’s efforts in digital governance are gaining global recognition.
“It’s also good when there are wins, we should celebrate, because we too never knew that the little things we are doing are noticed not just within Nigeria, but globally, to the extent of earning us this award,” he asserted.
He concluded by expressing gratitude to the Nigerian National OGP Secretariat and the global OGP leadership, reaffirming NITDA’s commitment to strengthening collaboration and building a more productive working relationship that will translate open governance principles into measurable national impact.
Earlier in his remark, Mr Olusoji Apampa, who led the OGP deelegation, said the honours were earned through a strong partnership between government and civil society, with NITDA playing a critical role, particularly in commitments focused on improving digital governance in Nigeria.
Apampa expressed hope that the awards would serve as added momentum to deepen ongoing commitments under NITDA’s leadership and accelerate the practical implementation of reforms aimed at strengthening digital governance across the country.
PalmPay, Nigeria’s leading digital banking platform, has announced the launch of its ₦400 million festive rewards campaign, designed to reward users with cash prizes and fully sponsored international travel experiences for everyday transactions on the PalmPay app.
The campaign will run from December 17, 2025, to January 8, 2026. The campaign is designed to reward everyday transactions with extraordinary experiences. It runs alongside PalmPay’s Purple December brand campaign, which focuses on wrapping up the company’s key brand and community initiatives for the year.
At the centre of the rewards campaign is the PalmPay World Travel Carnival, an interactive card collection experience that allows users to earn city cards by completing transactions on the app. Users are required to collect five city cards – London, New York, Dubai, Sydney, and Cape Town and combine them into a World Card, which unlocks a share of the prize pool.
The more World Cards a user creates, the larger their share of the cash rewards. Any extra uncombined cards can be swapped with friends and other PalmPay users to help complete additional World Cards.
Beyond cash rewards, the Carnival also offers Free Global Trips. In each round, the top two users with the highest number of eligible transactions (₦100 and above) and at least one World Card will win an all-expense-paid international trip.
The travel grand prize covers:
- Visa fees
- Round-trip international airfare
- 5-day, 4-night hotel accommodation
- Side attraction
- Meal expenses
- Airport pick-up and drop-off
- All transportation for scheduled tour activities during the trip
Winners will be determined through a transparent leaderboard system, with prizes credited automatically at the end of each round on December 25, December 31, and January 8.
Participation is simple:
- Complete tasks on the PalmPay app, such as Airtime, Data, Transfers, and other specific transactions listed in the app, to earn cards.
- Collect all five city cards.
- Swap cards with friends to complete your collection.
- Combine cards to form a World Card and earn cash rewards.
- Perform more transactions to climb the leaderboard for a chance at the global trip prize.
To ensure fairness, PalmPay has instituted strict rules: no cheating, bots, fake accounts, or manipulation. Any violations may lead to disqualification or account bans. Additionally, the Free Travel Prize is limited to one per user throughout the campaign.
Speaking on the launch, Femi Hanson, Head of Marketing & Communication, “This festive rewards campaign is about turning everyday banking into meaningful value for our users. With the World Travel Carnival as the headline activation, we are reinforcing PalmPay’s promise of being the smarter way to bank—where smart financial decisions unlock bigger opportunities.”
The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to conduct a nationwide energy survey aimed at closing long-standing data gaps in Nigeria’s power sector. The initiative is expected to guide policy, attract investment, and accelerate universal electricity access.
Signed in Abuja, the agreement establishes a National Energy Survey based on the Multi-Tier Tracking Framework (MTF), a globally recognized methodology that measures electricity access not only by grid connection but also by quality, affordability, reliability, and usage of electricity and clean cooking solutions.
The survey will be implemented under the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) of the World Bank. Dr. Abba Aliyu, REA Managing Director/CEO, said the partnership underscores REA’s commitment to evidence-based rural electrification planning and will generate detailed insights on electricity access and off-grid solutions nationwide.
Prince Adeyemi Adeniran, Statistician-General of the Federation/CEO of NBS, emphasized that reliable statistics are essential for effective policymaking, assuring that NBS will provide technical oversight, sampling expertise, and quality assurance to meet global standards.
The survey will assess energy access, household affordability, expenditure patterns, and the adoption of off-grid technologies such as solar home systems, mini-grids, and clean cooking solutions. REA will provide sector expertise and policy alignment, while NBS manages regulatory approvals, methodology, and technical supervision.
Funded and technically overseen by the World Bank, the exercise will run for 18 months, with the resulting data expected to improve national energy planning, programme targeting, and private sector investment, particularly in underserved and rural communities.
Officials said the collaboration reflects the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening inter-agency coordination, enhancing energy data availability, and advancing Nigeria’s goal of universal electricity and clean cooking access.
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