Oxford-Trained Tech Wizkid, Prince Nnamdi Ekeh honoured with Forbes and EuroKnowledge Award

Oxford-Trained Tech Wizkid, Prince Nnamdi Ekeh honoured with Forbes and EuroKnowledge Award

We live in a digital era where the spotlight often flickers over fleeting trends and hollow titles and very little authenticity. However, Prince Nnamdi Ekeh, Group Chief Executive Officer of Konga Group, stands tall as a refreshing exception, a beacon of genuine leadership. He is a young visionary whose quiet brilliance and transformational leadership are rewriting Africa’s digital story. At just under 30, this Oxford-trained entrepreneur has accomplished what even seasoned business titans dream of — and now, the world has taken note.

At the iconic House of Lords, London, Prince Ekeh made history as the youngest African ever to receive two global honours in one night — the Forbes Best of Africa E-Commerce Leadership Award 2025 and the Distinguished EuroKnowledge Award for Emerging Leadership in Digital Transformation. The prestigious ceremony, attended by an elite audience of global policymakers, innovators, and business leaders, was a defining moment not only for the young Nigerian but for an entire continent watching one of its brightest sons rise to the global stage.

Forbes and EuroKnowledge described his recognition as “a celebration of visionary courage and transformative impact,” honouring a leader who, at a remarkably young age, has built enduring institutions that power Africa’s digital economy. Prince Ekeh’s journey, as remarkable as it is inspiring, began long before the bright lights of global acclaim.

Born into a family steeped in innovation and enterprise, Nnamdi is the first son of Leo Stan Ekeh, Africa’s foremost disruptive digital entrepreneur and founder of Zinox Group, and Lady Chioma Ekeh, a chartered accountant, and CEO of TD Africa, the continent’s largest tech distribution company.

From an early age, he imbibed the family’s values of discipline, innovation, and social responsibility, qualities that would later define his leadership style. His lineage reflects a deep-rooted entrepreneurial heritage: his great-grandfather, Mazi Ihentuge Ekeh, was one of the most prominent merchants in Onitsha, while his grandmother, a British-trained entrepreneur, designed the first galvanized waste bins used in Nigeria under the “Operation Clean and Green” initiative.

But it is Nnamdi’s personal story that truly sets him apart. At just 19, while studying at the University of Lancaster, he conceived Yudala, Africa’s first composite e-commerce platform. It was a bold, technology-driven venture that would employ hundreds of young Nigerians. After years of learning the ropes within the Zinox Group, he led the strategic acquisition of Konga from global investors Naspers and Kinnevik in 2018. The merger of Konga and Yudala under his leadership birthed Africa’s first true omnichannel e-commerce powerhouse, combining the convenience of digital retail with the trust of physical stores.

Today, Konga stands as a pillar of innovation, spanning fintech (KongaPay), logistics (Konga Logistics), healthcare (Konga Health), and travel (Konga Travel and Tours). The company serves over four million customers and about two million merchants; an ecosystem that reflects Ekeh’s belief in what he calls “commercial scale with social soul.”

It was this belief that echoed through his electrifying keynote speech at the House of Lords. Speaking before an audience that included international business magnates, ministers, and diplomats, he reflected on Africa’s entrepreneurial journey, urging leaders to build institutions that solve real problems and create lasting social impact.

“When we acquired Konga from Naspers and Kinnevik,” he said, “we chose the harder path, which was to build the rails of digital commerce for Nigeria and, ultimately, for Africa. Because entrepreneurship that truly changes lives must solve real problems, not just build pretty apps.”

He continued, “Every package delivered isn’t just commerce; it’s connection. A small business in Enugu selling to a customer in Kano for the first time. That’s what scalable social impact looks like; technology turning potential into prosperity.”

The powerful delivery earned him a standing ovation. His words were eloquent, purposeful, and filled with conviction, and they painted a portrait of a leader not driven by profit alone, but by impact. It was a reminder that Africa’s next growth story lies in young innovators who blend intellect with empathy, courage with humility, and technology with humanity.

Among the dignitaries present at the high-profile event were the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani; Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris; NAFDAC Director-General, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye; Professor Olufolake Abdulrazaq, wife of the Kwara State Governor; as well as international icons such as Reebok Co-founder Joe Foster and Dragons’ Den star Richard Faileigh, both of whom were also honoured.

With this latest global recognition, Prince Nnamdi Ekeh has once again affirmed that Africa’s future is not a faraway dream, it is already unfolding. A product of legacy, discipline, and vision, he embodies the promise of a continent ready to shape its destiny.

In the grand halls of the House of Lords, history was not just made — it was redefined. And at its centre stood a young Nigerian whose story proves that greatness is not a matter of age, but of purpose.