Austin Okere is a Nigerian technology entrepreneur, investor, business mentor, and leadership strategist whose pioneering work has helped shape Africa’s digital economy for more than three decades. As the Founder of CWG Plc, one of Africa’s foremost technology companies, and the Founder of the Ausso Leadership Academy, he has built a legacy that extends far beyond entrepreneurship. Through innovation, mentorship, and executive education, Okere has become one of Africa’s most respected advocates for business growth, leadership excellence, and shared prosperity. His work continues to influence entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and policymakers across the continent.
Austin founded Computer Warehouse Group (CWG) in 1992 with a vision of using technology to solve Africa’s most pressing business challenges. What began as a small computer hardware company evolved into CWG Plc, a pan-African technology powerhouse operating across multiple African markets and listed on the Nigerian Exchange. Under his leadership as Founder and Chief Executive Officer, CWG became the largest technology company by market capitalization on the Nigerian Stock Exchange’s ICT sector and was recognized by the World Economic Forum as a Global Growth Company, an honour reserved for high-impact enterprises driving innovation and economic development. After leading the company for more than two decades, he transitioned from executive management while continuing to serve on its Board as a Non-Executive Director.
Following his remarkable success in technology, Austin turned his attention to leadership development by establishing the Ausso Leadership Academy (ALA) in 2018. The academy was created to mentor entrepreneurs, founders, and corporate executives in scaling businesses through what he describes as Geometric Growth, a leadership philosophy focused on building sustainable organisations that generate long-term value and shared prosperity. Today, ALA partners with leading African and multinational organisations to deliver executive coaching, strategic leadership programmes, and business transformation initiatives, helping leaders navigate growth in an increasingly complex global economy.
His influence extends well beyond business. Austin serves as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Columbia Business School in New York and has been appointed to the Advisory Board of the Global Business School Network in Washington, D.C., in recognition of his contributions to business education and knowledge transfer across Africa. He has also served on the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Innovation and Intrapreneurship and has advised the Sustainable Development Goals Africa Centre in Kigali on private-sector-led development. These appointments have established him as one of Africa’s leading voices on entrepreneurship, innovation, and economic transformation.
Austin’s outstanding contributions have earned numerous national and international honours. He received the Lifetime Entrepreneurship Achievement Award from the American University of Nigeria in 2017, the Nigerian Computer Society Special Presidential Award in 2016, and was named ICT Personality of the Year by the Nigerian Computer Society in 2014. Earlier, he was recognised as ICT Man of the Decade by ICT Watch Africa Digital Network, listed among the United Kingdom’s 100 Most Influential Creatives, and named among Nigeria’s 100 Leading Telecoms and ICT Personalities by the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON). He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Directors and has received numerous honours for his lifelong contribution to technology, entrepreneurship, and leadership development.
Beyond boardrooms and technology, Austin is widely respected as an author, columnist, and thought leader whose writings on leadership, governance, innovation, and entrepreneurship have been published by global platforms including Forbes, where he has contributed insights on business strategy and Africa’s economic future. Through speaking engagements, executive coaching, and mentorship, he continues to inspire founders and business leaders to build organisations that are profitable, resilient, and socially impactful.
Today, Austin Okere stands as one of Africa’s foremost technology pioneers and leadership mentors. His journey from founding a technology startup to building one of the continent’s most respected ICT companies, and later dedicating his experience to developing future business leaders through the Ausso Leadership Academy, reflects a lifelong commitment to innovation, excellence, and shared prosperity. His legacy is measured not only by the businesses he has built but also by the entrepreneurs, executives, and institutions he continues to empower across Africa and beyond.
