In every thriving market, there are names you see on billboards and names you feel in your pocket, even if you’ve never heard them. Computer Warehouse Group (CWG) is one of those names—deeply embedded in Africa’s technology backbone, yet modest in public celebration. But behind that modesty is a man who didn’t just sell computers—he connected a continent.

Meet Austin Okere.

He is not your typical tech founder. There are no flamboyant launches, no viral TED talks, no headline-grabbing IPO dramas. What Austin Okere built was quieter, but far more enduring: an infrastructure for digital empowerment across Africa.

The Company That Became an Ecosystem

Founded in 1992—at a time when Nigeria's IT economy was virtually nonexistent—CWG began not with dreams of unicorn status, but with the simple desire to make computers available, affordable, and functional in a country where even power supply was a luxury.

Yet from those humble beginnings, Okere transformed CWG into West Africa’s largest systems integration company, and a quiet engine behind thousands of business operations, from banking to healthcare to telecommunications. It didn’t stop there.

By 2013, CWG had gone public, becoming the first indigenous IT company to list on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. At its peak, CWG’s footprint extended across 28 African countries, delivering hardware, software, cloud services, and enterprise solutions.

But the real impact isn’t just in numbers. It’s in access. It’s in jobs. It’s in digital inclusion.

When Banking Met Broadband

Before fintech became a buzzword, CWG was already laying down the digital rails. In partnership with MTN, it co-created the Diamond Y’ello Account, enabling millions of Nigerians to open and operate bank accounts through their phones. Within 12 months, this platform helped Diamond Bank (now Access Bank) onboard over 6 million new customers—a feat that reshaped Nigeria’s financial landscape.

CWG didn’t just deliver software; it delivered dignity to rural entrepreneurs, market women, artisans—people for whom formal banking had once seemed like an elite privilege.

Building Digital Nigeria—One SME at a Time

Today, Nigeria’s economy runs on the engine of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). But digital exclusion remains a major bottleneck.

Austin Okere’s response? CWG 2.0—an initiative to digitize MSMEs by providing cloud-based enterprise solutions and training. The goal? To enable 17 million MSMEs to each create at least one new job.

That’s not wishful thinking. That’s a national employment strategy—disguised as a tech upgrade.

Beyond CWG: Creating Leaders, Not Just Systems

Having handed over day-to-day operations in 2015, Okere didn’t retreat. He redirected.

In 2018, he founded the Ausso Leadership Academy (ALA)—a mentorship and executive training institute focused on “intrapreneurs” (entrepreneurial employees) and startup founders. Unlike traditional business schools, ALA doesn’t rely on professors—it brings in real business owners who share real struggles, real strategies, and real results.

Okere believes this is the most scalable form of leadership development Africa can invest in. And he walks that talk every day—mentoring founders, advising multinationals, and serving as Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Columbia Business School and MIT Legatum Center.

Why It All Matters Now

In a post-pandemic, AI-driven world, IT is no longer a luxury—it’s a lifeline. Schools, banks, hospitals, and even government agencies depend on digital platforms to function. And much of that infrastructure in Nigeria bears CWG’s fingerprint.

As tech becomes Africa’s new oil, it’s critical that the architects of our digital future are not just coders—but visionaries with context. Austin Okere is one of those rare few—bridging Silicon Valley ambition with Ajegunle realism.

So, Who Is Austin Okere—Really?

He’s the man you may never meet. You won’t see him trending on Twitter. He probably won’t keynote at a Davos summit. But if your business runs a cloud service, if your rural cousin opened a mobile bank account, if your employer rolled out a secure IT platform—you’ve crossed paths with his legacy.

He didn’t build a company to be famous.
He built it so you could thrive.
And in doing so, he rewired a continent.

For more on Austin Okere’s work at CWG and Ausso Leadership Academy, visit www.ausso-academy.com.