ABOUTWALE AJISEBUTU Wale Ajisebutu is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria. With a cumulative experience portfolio of 39 years in the financial services, commodities and ICT sectors, he currently serves as the chairman/ CEO of 21st Technologies Limited – a pioneer in the business of digital infrastructure. His capacity for problem-solving and translating ideas into transformative reality distinguishes him. Driven by his undiluted passion for technology as a development lever and guided by a strong belief that a connected Africa can become a strong force in the comity of nations, he founded 21st Century Technologies Limited in 1997 after 14 years of trading in commodities. Having realised that the commodities business – though very rewarding – becomes monotonous and very unchallenging, he opted to focus on the business of infrastructure to address huge uncultivated opportunities which abound in Nigeria and Africa. Wale hails from a very humble background. He is an incurable optimist, focused, self-motivated and disciplined. He is calm, quiet and peaceful and in his element when creating innovative solutions. His ultimate goal is to ensure Nigeria as a country realises the vision of the digital economy and plays a significant role in the fourth industrial revolution. FIRMPROFILE 21st Century Technologies Limited is a 25-year-old mission-critical digital infrastructure and technology platform company. The singular aim of the organisation is to deliver compelling, robust infrastructure and skills to support a new Africa where technology, science and engineering are the drivers of transformation. The organisation provides secure and reliable services in the areas of data centres, towers, power, technology platforms and payment solutions. With multi-site data centre operations in Lagos state – namely Apapa (12 megawatts), Lekki (12 megawatts) and Ikeja (36 megawatts and still under construction) – 21st Century Technologies will have a total capacity of 61.5 megawatts including 1.5 megawatts from five edge centres with 300 kilowatts each. The pioneer in data centre deployment in Nigeria, the company is positioned to become the biggest provider of data centre capacity in West Africa. From building its infrastructure locally to its focus on the African youth through the digital academy campuses and creator Labs, the organisation’s unique business model positions it as a partner in the socio-economic development of Nigeria. Underlying all of these is a strong corporate commitment to the ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) principles. At 21st Century, sustainability is at the core of all decisions. AN INTERVIEWWITH WALE AJISEBUTU Please tell us a little more about yourself and your background. I am an accountant by training and a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria. With a cumulative experience portfolio of 39 years in the financial services, commodities and ICT sectors, I currently serve as the CEO/vice chairman of 21st Century Technologies Limited. The firm was founded by me 25 years ago as a pioneer in the business of digital infrastructure, a calling to which we have stayed true to date. A bit about me: I am from a very humble background. As they say, ‘I was born without a silver spoon.’ I am an incurable optimist, focused, selfmotivated and disciplined. My personality paradox expresses itself in my calm, quiet and peaceful nature and also in my undiluted passion for creating innovative solutions. What led you to switch from a mercantile career to one in ICT? I started out as a banker, ready to take on the world. I soon realised that the commodities business, though very rewarding, had become monotonous and very unchallenging for me. Driven by my desire to solve problems and guided by a strong belief that a connected Africa can become a strong force in the comity of nations, it was clear to me that the time had come to harness the huge uncultivated opportunities in Nigeria and Africa as a whole. Technology to me is an enabler, a development lever that opens humanity up to limitless possibilities. Looking back, I am glad I made the switch to “techpreneurship”. What changes have you seen in Nigeria’s ICT sector since founding your firm? The ICT sector in Nigeria has matured and is indeed catching up with the world. From CDMA technology to 4G/LTE and 5G technology, the ICT sector is one of the fastest growing in Nigeria. ICT has positively disrupted vertical sectors such as education, financial services and healthcare inNigeria. - 17 - What we have done so far is a stepping stone to an interesting journey that lies ahead, where uncommon achievement shall be accomplished and recorded for the benefit of humanity. “ “
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