In a landmark gesture that added prestige and excitement to the school’s 77th anniversary celebration, the Leo Stan Ekeh Foundation (LSEF) has donated a multi-million-naira, state-of-the-art AI-Tech Centre to Holy Ghost College, Owerri, Imo State.
The foundation was established by Africa’s foremost serial digital entrepreneur, Leo Stan Ekeh, who personally supervised the facility from construction to completion.
The new facility instantly positions Holy Ghost College among Nigeria’s emerging smart technology-driven secondary schools with the capacity to compete globally. Designed as a world-class smart learning environment, the centre features highly integrated, all-in-one Zinox computers and eco-friendly integrated workstations with modern furniture.
Other facilities include two large AI-enabled interactive screens designed for real-time online tutorials and digital learning sessions and a 24-hour iPower solar-powered electricity alongside high-speed Starlink corporate internet connectivity, which is fully subscribed for the next five years.
An alumnus of the institution, Leo Stan Ekeh noted that the project was inspired by his desire to equip students with the digital skills and global exposure required to thrive in the 21st-century knowledge economy.
“It is my prayer that this centre will produce Nigeria’s next generation of tech-driven billionaires who can create wealth, transform lives, and alter the destinies of millions of Nigerians,” Ekeh stated, adding that technology gives children from humble backgrounds the opportunity to compete globally and transform their destinies.
Plans are already underway to transform the facility into a certified training hub for global technology brands, including Microsoft, Cisco, Oracle, and Starlink. To ensure long-term sustainability, the foundation is recruiting a director and support staff who will receive proper training and competitive remuneration.
Beyond tech skills, the centre will host structured mentorship programmes focused on ethics, leadership, finishing school culture, and transparent communication.
Ekeh disclosed that through his foundation and companies under the Zinox Group, similar projects have quietly been implemented in over 123 primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions across Nigeria since 1996. Over the next year, at least seven more secondary schools across Nigeria will benefit from mini-ICT centres and residential apartments for teachers.
Furthermore, Ekeh announced two major upcoming initiatives:
- AI Intelligent Hostel: The foundation plans to refurbish one of the school’s hostels into a fully intelligent facility fitted with AI-enabled amenities to encourage academic excellence. Accommodation will be treated as a merit-based privilege.
- 1,000 Tech University Scholarships: Within the next 12 months, the foundation will intensify focus on its recently launched scholarship initiative for indigent Nigerian students. The programme is run in partnership with Zinox Technologies, TD Africa, Task Systems, and Konga Group, with application details accessible via konga.com.
In solidarity with the initiative, Chief Jerry Chukwueke, Chairman of Germaine Group and a longtime friend of Ekeh, donated ₦10 million to the school.
The AI-Tech Centre was formally inaugurated by the Catholic Archbishop of Owerri, Most Rev. Lucius Ugorji, assisted by alumnus Mr. Cosmas Ibe. Archbishop Ugorji commended Ekeh for what he described as a “Godly and noble gesture borne purely out of love and genuine commitment to education, not political ambition,” while charging students to protect the facility from vandalism.
The Principal of Holy Ghost College, Rev. Dr. Samuel Agu, expressed profound appreciation for the transformative investment. Similarly, the Imo State Commissioner for Primary and Secondary Education, Prof. Bernard-Thompson Ikegwuoha, praised Ekeh as “a worthy ambassador of Imo State and a shining example of purposeful philanthropy.”