From shadows to spotlight: Why Abiola Laseinde crowns Africa’s unsung tech heroes

Tech leaders in Africa’s ecosystem were long overlooked, unlike celebrated C-suite roles, until 2020 changed the narrative. Abiola Laseinde, founder and CEO of Edniesal Consulting Limited, convener of the CIO & C-Suite Awards Africa, CIO & C-Suite Club Africa, and Ladies-in-Tech Network, shares with IFEOMA OKEKE-KORIEOCHA how her initiatives spotlight these unsung heroes and drive lasting change. Excerpts:

What necessitated the idea to start the award, especially since the CIO/C-Suite is not an area that is well celebrated in Nigeria?

The idea for the CIO and C-Suite Awards wasn’t some calculated business move; it was born from a feeling, a deep, almost childlike compulsion, during the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic. I was screaming from the mountaintop, wondering why we weren’t celebrating our tech heroes!

During the Ebola crisis, we honoured every medical worker, even those who died. Yet, as the COVID-19 pandemic forced everyone into the comfort of their homes, it was the CIOs and tech leaders who were silently grinding behind the scenes, literally moving their operations to secure centers to maintain critical infrastructure. Cyberattacks were spiking, and without their tireless work, our companies would have collapsed. Many of these leaders were probably losing their lives quietly, completely unseen.

I felt it was grossly unfair that these individuals, the human beings keeping our world connected, were so unappreciated and unrecognised. The CFOs and CEOs get all the awards, but the guys taking the bullet are invisible. My mission became to put a crown on their head and give them the public spotlight they deserved.

It started as a burden, a pet project I had to plead with my employer to let me pursue, but the passion was so overwhelming that I simply took the plunge, determined to fight until they were finally celebrated.

Did you face any form of challenges or resistance from companies who would rather the company is in front of the camera than the individual?

Absolutely, I faced significant resistance, and not just from external sources, but sometimes even from the people we were trying to celebrate. The biggest challenge was wrestling the spotlight away from the Marketing people. For them, the CEO or the CFO is the natural “face and brand of the company,” leveraging every event for amplification. They simply didn’t understand why “James, the IT guy somewhere,” who is usually behind the scenes, should suddenly be the public image.

Initially, the awardees themselves were conservative and hesitant. Many were so used to working in the shadows that they didn’t even inform their companies about their nominations. Some just showed up quietly, thinking, “Let me just see what this is about, pick the award, and leave before I cause any trouble.” I was genuinely naive, thinking a simple call would be enough. I quickly learned I had to force them to celebrate themselves by the second edition because they weren’t accustomed to the glamour.

Ultimately, I had to convince companies that giving the individual the crown meant the company would shine too. It was a massive cultural shift we had to drive.

Read also: How a frustrated group of African entrepreneurs built mobile-first platform to close Africa’s education gap

Why did you decide to add the conference to the event?

We started with just the awards, but soon realized the three-hour ceremony wasn’t enough value for our multi-sectoral stakeholders. To give our partners and attendees a tangible return on their time and investment, we decided to add a valuable half-day conference.

This extension allows sponsors to engage, and awardees to experience a mind shift by learning new trends, ultimately making them more relevant to their organizations.

How do you source funds for this award, considering the fact that the awardees are not paying for the award?

Sourcing funds for a complimentary, high-caliber event like this was one of my biggest hurdles initially. For the very first edition, I had to be prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice. I was ready to cash out my pension to cover the cost, because I passionately believed in honouring these unsung heroes.

However, the real solution emerged through corporate partnerships. We realized that OEMs and major companies, those selling products to CIOs and CISOs, would find immense value in partnering with us. They pay for things like the hall, meals, or branding in exchange for access and pitching slots to this influential audience.

We focus on being partner-centric, ensuring their investment provides tangible returns through pre, during, and post-event engagement, which is why we have so many returning supporters.

How did you ensure the quality of the event experience from day one, despite having little or no funding initially?

Ensuring a super late classic event was non-negotiable from day one, even though I was jobless and almost went to my pension for funds! My primary focus was the quality of the experience, driven by the vision that one day, we’d be a global standard.

I was incredibly hands-on, micro-managing every detail. I fought with the decorators, insisting on professional tech-themed elements like AI or 3D carvings instead of “village things” like flowers. Crucially, I ensured the ambience and service, from the gate to the hall, were impeccable.

I selected mature ushers, not just young students, to guarantee our VIP guests, the CIOs, received the respect and experience they deserved. The entire event was about them, and I worked tirelessly to ensure their moment in the spotlight was flawless.

What are the parameters behind the selection process for the awardees?

We established a stringent, governance-focused selection process with the help of technical partners like EY. To ensure fairness and meritocracy, not just choosing someone I liked, we appointed a panel of Jurors (senior IT veterans and founders).

Nominees must submit a project executed within the last 12 months, detailing its quantitative and qualitative impact on their organization and value chain. We also require strict confidentiality clauses and subject all submissions to rigorous desktop validation to verify their claims. It’s all about justifiable achievement, not popularity.

What is the impact of the award, based on testimonials and its role in elevating CIOs and C-Suite technology leaders?

The testimonials and ripple effects have been profoundly encouraging, validating our decision to celebrate these tech leaders. Initially, awardees were so surprised, some even called back to verify the event’s credibility.

Now, we receive a constant surge of requests from winners and even nominees for official certificates and letters to validate their achievements globally, for sharing with international teams or even for visa purposes.

This not only gives them personal visibility but also elevates their roles within their companies, shining a spotlight on the entire IT team. By acknowledging their crucial contributions, the award successfully fosters an environment where the CIO/CISO role is seen as essential to the C-suite, inspiring both current leaders and future talent in the often-unseen tech ecosystem.

How did you fund the inaugural awards without touching your personal pension, and what does the rise in international nominations mean for the future, including hosting the event outside Nigeria?

I didn’t end up using my pension to finance the first edition of the CIO and C-Suite Awards. At the beginning, I actually filled out the withdrawal forms because I believed so deeply in the vision and I had no salary at the time.

But before I submitted them, members of our project team who were working pro bono rallied support and raised the funds we needed, almost ₦8 million, so I never had to break my pension after all. Their belief in the idea showed me that people truly valued what we were trying to build.

As for the growing international nominations, we honestly did not plan for it. Yet over the years, entries began coming from Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Morocco and many others.

At first, we rejected them because the award was meant for Nigerian-based professionals, but a team member wisely pointed out that only a few African countries even celebrate CIOs this way. That insight shifted our mindset, and today we receive nominations from 15 countries.

The implication is that this award is now a Pan-African platform. We are open to hosting it outside Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, or South Africa, but the financial cost remains the major constraint, especially with foreign exchange requirements. With the right sponsorship, we’re ready to take that leap.

You’ve expanded significantly in five years. What does female representation look like today, and what actions are being taken to improve it?

In five years, our growth has been remarkable, but one thing became clear early on, female representation was painfully low. By our second edition, about 90% of nominees were men, and it troubled me deeply. I knew talented women were doing incredible work, yet they were not putting themselves forward.

So, I created the Ladies in Tech and Leadership Network, a relaxed coaching and mentorship space where we hold honest conversations, build confidence, and push women to step into the spotlight. We’ve even taken the movement across Africa, Kenya last year and Rwanda next. The progress is slow but real. More women are showing up, nominating themselves, and realizing their stories deserve to be seen and celebrated.

What are your personal career ambitions, your current ambitions for the award, and your vision for its global future?

My career ambition is to serve as Nigeria’s ambassador to the US, leveraging my passion for tech ecosystems and national pride to bridge continents.

For the CIO and C-Suite Awards, I aim to elevate it as Africa’s premier multi-sectoral platform, honoring unsung tech heroes with unmatched prestige.

Globally, I envision hosting grand ceremonies in hubs like South Africa, drawing nominations worldwide, fostering policy advocacy, and positioning Nigeria as the epicenter of digital excellence.

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers.

She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay.

She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos.

As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender.

She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies.

Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category.

She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category.

She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations.

Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.

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