How Jim Ovia Built Zenith Bank Into a Nigerian Banking Institution

The story of the banker who combined technology, discipline and institutional succession to build one of Nigeria’s most influential financial brands.

Jim Ovia’s business story is inseparable from the development of modern Nigerian banking.

When he founded Zenith Bank in 1990, Nigeria’s financial system was still dominated by older institutions, manual processes, limited technology and a heavily regulated operating environment. Over the following decades, Zenith moved from a private commercial bank into a publicly listed financial institution with operations across Nigeria, West Africa, the United Kingdom and other international markets.

The company’s growth cannot be explained by a single decision. It emerged from a combination of early investment in information technology, an emphasis on corporate and institutional banking, strong capital management, disciplined expansion and the gradual development of a management succession system.

Ovia’s significance, therefore, is not simply that he founded a successful bank. It is that he helped demonstrate how a Nigerian entrepreneur could build a financial institution that survived changes in regulation, competition, technology, ownership and executive leadership.

Zenith Bank’s 2025 annual report records gross earnings of ₦4.19 trillion, profit after tax of ₦1.04 trillion, total assets of approximately ₦31.46 trillion and 456 branches at 31 December 2025. These are the bank’s figures, not a measure of Ovia’s personal wealth or direct individual contribution.

The Builder at a Glance

Field	Verified information
Name	Jim James Ovia, CFR
Known for	Founding Zenith Bank; pioneering technology-led banking in Nigeria; building a major corporate and retail banking institution
Founder	Zenith Bank Plc
Current role	Historical sources and Zenith’s 2025 annual report identify him as chairman during the 2025 financial year. A July 2026 report says he retired as chairman after completing the applicable tenure. Current board status should be checked against the latest NGX filing
Major company	Zenith Bank Plc
Other institutions	Jim Ovia Foundation; Youth Empowerment and ICT Foundation
Core industries	Banking, financial services, technology, education and youth development
Founded	Zenith Bank incorporated on 30 May 1990; commercial operations began in June or July 1990, with minor date differences across company records
Headquarters	Lagos, Nigeria
Education	Southern University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana; University of Louisiana at Monroe; Harvard Business School executive education
Major achievements	Founded Zenith Bank; led its development from a private bank into a listed international banking group; supported early digital banking; maintained a leadership-succession model built largely from internal executives; established education and youth-development initiatives
Book	Africa Rise and Shine, published by ForbesBooks in 2018

Zenith Bank’s 2025 audited report identifies Ovia as chairman and Adaora Umeoji as group managing director and CEO during the reporting year. The bank’s own history identifies him as founder and attributes its technology-led approach to the institution’s development.

The Story Behind the Builder

Ovia’s career is a story of institutional construction.

He did not build Zenith by competing only on branch numbers or by pursuing the widest possible range of financial services. The public record points to a more focused model: establish a commercially oriented bank, invest early in technology, serve corporate and institutional customers, maintain capital strength, list the company publicly and develop managers from within.

That model unfolded over several distinct phases:

• Learning banking from the operational level.
• Building professional and international experience.
• Launching Zenith during a difficult period for Nigerian finance.
• Using technology and service quality to differentiate the new bank.
• Raising public capital and adapting to consolidation.
• Expanding into West Africa and selected international centres.
• Moving from founder-led management to a succession-based institution.

The final phase is especially important. In 2024, Zenith appointed Adaora Umeoji as its first female group managing director and CEO. The bank said she had spent 26 years with Zenith and that the appointment reflected its practice of grooming leaders from within.

This provides the central tension in Ovia’s story: how does a founder turn personal authority into institutional continuity?

Before Zenith

Early banking experience

Public accounts identify Ovia as beginning his banking career in 1973 as a clerical officer with Barclays Bank, now associated with Union Bank of Nigeria.

The exact details of his early employment are not consistently documented across primary sources, but the broad chronology is repeated in reputable biographical accounts and corporate profiles.

Starting in a clerical role is relevant because it placed him close to the mechanics of banking: transaction processing, records, customer service, branch routines and operational controls. It was a different starting point from entering the industry directly through ownership or senior executive office.

Education in the United States

Ovia studied Business Administration at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, graduating in 1977. He later obtained an MBA from the University of Louisiana at Monroe in 1979. He also completed executive management education at Harvard Business School.

Some biographical accounts describe his early United States banking exposure through Baton Rouge Bank and Trust. That detail is reported in secondary biographies, but it is not as firmly documented as his university education and should be treated cautiously.

The education was important not simply because it provided credentials. It exposed Ovia to American banking systems at a time when Nigerian banking was still far less technologically developed and less integrated into global financial practice.

The Problem He Set Out to Solve

There was no single publicly recorded statement in which Ovia defined Zenith’s founding problem in the language of a modern start-up pitch. The business context, however, is clear.

Nigeria’s banking industry in 1990 operated under significant constraints:

• Banking processes were largely manual.
• Customer service was inconsistent.
• Information moved slowly between branches.
• Access to finance was uneven.
• Private-sector banking was still developing.
• Regulation shaped who could enter and how institutions could grow.
• Corporate customers needed more efficient treasury, trade and payment services.

Zenith’s official history says the bank sought to use information and communication technology to create innovative products and improve customer service. Its stated values include integrity, professionalism, excellence, ethics, commitment, transparency and service.

Publicly available evidence therefore suggests that Ovia’s business proposition was built around a better-organised private bank, supported by technology and focused on service quality.

That is different from claiming that he single-handedly modernised Nigerian banking. The industry was also transformed by regulatory reform, competition, banking consolidation, telecommunications growth, rising corporate demand and later digital-finance adoption.

Building Zenith Bank

The launch in 1990

Zenith Bank was incorporated as Zenith International Bank Limited on 30 May 1990. The bank received a commercial-banking licence in June and commenced business during the same period. The 2025 annual report records commencement on 16 June 1990, while the company’s historical materials and older reports use July dates.

This discrepancy should be reported rather than silently resolved:

• Incorporation date: 30 May 1990.
• Banking licence: June 1990.
• Commencement of operations: June or July 1990, depending on the company document consulted.

The bank began as a private Nigerian-owned institution in a highly competitive market. Its early challenge was not simply raising capital. It needed to establish credibility with depositors, regulators, corporate customers and employees.

Technology as infrastructure

Zenith’s technology strategy became one of its defining characteristics.

The bank’s official history says it “blazed the trail” in digital banking and made early investments in ICT infrastructure. Its corporate narrative links technology to faster service, innovative products and the ability to meet changing customer expectations.

This distinction matters. Technology was not presented merely as an electronic add-on to branch banking. It was treated as part of the bank’s operating architecture.

The strategy potentially produced several advantages:

• Better access to customer information.
• Faster transaction processing.
• Greater consistency across branches.
• Improved control and reporting.
• A foundation for internet, card, ATM, mobile and electronic banking.
• Lower dependence on branch-level manual processes.

Some secondary accounts say Zenith was among the first Nigerian banks to introduce internet banking around 1999. That specific date should be independently checked against archival bank records before publication. The safer verified claim is that Zenith publicly built its brand around early and extensive use of ICT.

Corporate banking first

Zenith’s customer base developed strongly around corporate entities, including multinational subsidiaries and large indigenous companies. The bank’s official profile identifies oil and gas, power and infrastructure, ICT and telecommunications, real estate, transport, aviation, commodities and entertainment among the sectors it serves.

This focus helped the bank build relationships with customers whose financial needs were more complex than basic savings accounts. Corporate clients require:

• Working-capital finance.
• Foreign-exchange services.
• Trade finance.
• Treasury management.
• Payroll and collections.
• Cash management.
• Investment and structured banking services.

The model also created a platform from which the bank could later expand into commercial, consumer, retail, private and personal banking.

Public listing and capital raising

Zenith became a public limited company in 2004 and listed its shares on the Nigerian Stock Exchange on 21 October 2004.

The listing was a strategic turning point.

It:

• Expanded the bank’s shareholder base.
• Provided access to public equity capital.
• Increased disclosure requirements.
• Created a market valuation for the company.
• Strengthened the relationship between management and public investors.
• Made institutional governance more consequential.

A 2009 academic case study on Zenith’s initial public offering examined the marketing strategy behind the IPO and placed it within the CBN’s 2004 to 2005 recapitalisation environment. That reform raised minimum capital requirements for banks from ₦2 billion to ₦25 billion and reshaped Nigeria’s banking landscape.

Zenith was among the institutions that emerged from the consolidation period as a larger and better-capitalised bank. The bank’s survival and expansion through this period was a major test of its operating model.

The consolidation era

Nigeria’s banking consolidation reduced the number of commercial banks from 89 to 25 after the CBN increased minimum capital requirements.

The reform forced banks to choose among recapitalisation, mergers, acquisitions or exit. For Zenith, the period reinforced the importance of capital adequacy, investor confidence and operational discipline.

The bank’s later public narrative emphasised:

• Strong capital.
• Asset quality.
• Risk management.
• Professional management.
• Service delivery.
• Technology.

It would be too simplistic to attribute Zenith’s performance only to Ovia’s personal discipline. The bank benefited from a favourable growth period in Nigerian banking, expanding private-sector demand and a larger formal economy. But its performance through consolidation is an important part of the institution-building record.

International expansion

Zenith expanded beyond Nigeria through subsidiaries and representative offices.

The bank’s official materials identify subsidiaries in Ghana, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, the United Kingdom and, in its 2025 annual report, a group structure that includes Zenith Bank Ghana, Zenith Bank UK, Zenith Bank Sierra Leone, Zenith Bank The Gambia, Zenith Pensions Custodian and Zenith Nominees.

The bank also identifies representative offices in the United Arab Emirates and China. Its “About Us” page says Zenith Bank Paris was commissioned in 2024 following approval from France’s banking regulator.

The international strategy was not simply about attaching a Nigerian brand to overseas branches. It served specific customer and transaction corridors:

• West African trade.
• Corporate cross-border banking.
• Diaspora-linked finance.
• International settlements.
• UK and European access.
• Regional support for Nigerian companies.

The challenge was to maintain consistent risk, compliance and service standards across jurisdictions with different regulators and market conditions.

From founder to chairman

Ovia served as Zenith’s pioneer managing director and later moved into the chairman’s role. The bank’s 2025 annual report identifies him as chairman during the year ended 31 December 2025.

The transition separated day-to-day executive management from board oversight. That separation is visible in the bank’s governance reporting, which states that the chairman and group managing director positions are held by different people and that the board delegates daily management to the GMD/CEO.

Zenith appointed Ebenezer Onyeagwu as GMD/CEO effective after the end of his predecessor’s tenure and then appointed Adaora Umeoji effective 1 June 2024. The bank described Umeoji’s appointment as part of its succession tradition and internal leadership development.

A succession system cannot be judged only by the appointment announcement. It must also be tested through performance, independence of management, board effectiveness and the institution’s ability to adapt after the founder’s departure.

The Business Model

Zenith Bank is a commercial bank and financial-services group.

Customers

The bank serves a broad customer base, with a historical emphasis on corporates and institutions and an expanding retail, commercial, consumer, personal and private-banking franchise. Zenith says its customer base exceeds 30 million accounts, although the date and definition of “accounts” should be clarified when used in future updates.

Revenue model

The bank generates income primarily through:

• Interest earned on loans and advances.
• Interest on investment securities.
• Fees and commissions.
• Foreign-exchange and treasury activity.
• Cash-management services.
• Trade finance.
• Other banking and subsidiary activities.

Its 2025 audited financial statements record gross earnings of ₦4.192 trillion, profit before tax of ₦1.263 trillion and profit after tax of ₦1.041 trillion.

Distribution

Zenith uses a multi-channel distribution model:

• Branches.
• Cash centres.
• ATMs.
• Point-of-sale terminals.
• Cards.
• Digital banking platforms.
• Corporate banking systems.
• Mobile and electronic payment channels.

At 31 December 2025, the group reported 456 branches, 84 cash centres, 2,148 ATMs, 473,123 POS terminals and 30,274,472 cards issued to customers.

Competitive position

The bank competes across several dimensions:

• Capital strength.
• Brand trust.
• Corporate relationships.
• Service reliability.
• Technology.
• Distribution.
• Pricing.
• Asset quality.
• International reach.
• Executive and risk-management capability.

Its competitive position has been reinforced by repeated recognition. Zenith’s official website lists awards including The Banker’s Bank of the Year for Nigeria, World Finance banking awards, corporate-governance recognition and top-tier-capital rankings. These are external recognitions reported by the company and should not be treated as independent proof of every performance claim.

The Builder’s Strategy

Technology before it became fashionable

Publicly available evidence suggests Ovia treated technology as a core banking capability rather than a support function. Zenith’s official history repeatedly connects the bank’s growth to ICT, electronic channels and service delivery.

This was strategically important because technology can scale a bank’s operating model. A branch network without integrated data remains fragmented. A connected network can standardise processes, improve monitoring and support higher transaction volumes.

Corporate customers as an anchor

The bank’s stated customer base includes multinational corporations and large indigenous companies. This suggests that Zenith used corporate banking as an anchor from which it built broader capabilities.

Corporate relationships can create multiple revenue opportunities across lending, deposits, treasury, trade finance and payments. They can also produce strong reputational effects because a bank serving major companies becomes embedded in the wider economy.

Capital discipline

Zenith’s development through Nigeria’s consolidation period indicates the importance of capital management. Its public records consistently emphasise capital strength, asset quality and risk management.

The evidence does not prove that the bank avoided all credit problems. No major bank operates without credit risk. It does show that capital adequacy and risk control were central to the institution’s public identity.

Build internally

The appointment of Umeoji in 2024 supports the interpretation that Zenith has relied heavily on internal leadership development. She had spent decades within the bank before becoming CEO.

That model can preserve institutional knowledge and culture. Its risk is that an organisation may become too inward-looking if it does not continuously refresh its leadership, technology and external perspective.

Separate ownership from management

By moving from CEO to chairman and maintaining distinct board and executive roles, Ovia helped establish a governance structure in which the founder was not the only operating authority.

The bank’s governance disclosures explicitly separate the chairman’s board responsibilities from the GMD’s day-to-day management role.

Major Challenges and Turning Points

Building trust as a new private bank

Launching a private bank in 1990 meant competing against established institutions with older brands and deeper relationships. Zenith had to convince depositors and corporate customers that a new entrant could provide reliability, liquidity and professional service.

Public records do not provide enough detail about the bank’s first customers, first branch-level difficulties or early losses to reconstruct those years confidently. Claims about specific opening locations, seed capital or initial customer contracts should therefore be verified directly from archival annual reports or interviews before publication.

The 2004 to 2005 recapitalisation

The increase in minimum capital requirements from ₦2 billion to ₦25 billion created a major industry-wide challenge. Banks that could not recapitalise faced loss of their licences or forced combinations.

For Zenith, the successful public-company transition and ability to operate as a larger bank were turning points. The sector’s consolidation also increased competition among fewer, better-capitalised institutions.

The 2008 to 2009 global financial crisis

Nigeria’s banking system was affected by the global crisis, stock-market decline and weaknesses in credit and governance. Zenith’s official history claims its non-performing-loan ratio remained below the industry average through the crisis.

That is a company claim and should be presented as such. It is not equivalent to an independent industry-wide audit of all asset-quality measures.

Regulatory and governance scrutiny

Banks operate under continuous regulatory scrutiny. Zenith’s public financial statements disclose compliance with CBN and SEC governance codes and provide information on audit, risk, fraud reporting, related-party transactions and customer complaints.

The 2025 annual report recorded 746 fraud cases during the year, stating that most did not result in financial loss to the bank. It also reported 499 unresolved customer complaints at year-end.

These disclosures do not establish misconduct by the bank or founder. They do show that even a large, technologically advanced bank faces operational fraud, customer-service and control challenges.

Founder succession

The most important long-term challenge is whether Zenith remains strong when the founder is no longer involved in executive or board leadership.

The bank’s succession process has so far included internal CEOs and the appointment of Umeoji as the first woman to lead the group. A July 2026 report said Ovia retired as chairman after completing his applicable tenure.

Because the 2025 annual report still lists him as chairman, the exact retirement date and successor should be confirmed through a later Zenith or NGX filing before publication of a final “current status” section.

Beyond the Original Business

Jim Ovia Foundation

The Jim Ovia Foundation focuses on youth development, education and ICT literacy.

Its official website states that the foundation has provided more than ₦1 billion in scholarships, empowered more than 3,500 youths and supported more than 500 ICT entrepreneurs. These figures are self-reported by the foundation and should be dated when published.

The foundation’s mission is to invest in Nigerian youths as a source of socioeconomic development. Its programmes include scholarships, leadership development and youth empowerment.

Scholarships and education

The foundation’s public materials associate its scholarship work with supporting students who might otherwise struggle to access higher education. Zenith Bank UK’s annual report also refers to the MUSTE scholarship initiative and the foundation’s education work.

The significance of this activity is its connection to Ovia’s broader technology and institution-building interests. He has repeatedly framed youth education and ICT literacy as part of Nigeria’s development needs.

Book and public thought leadership

Ovia is the author of Africa Rise and Shine, published by ForbesBooks in 2018. The book combines memoir and business guidance and presents the development of Zenith Bank within a broader argument about African enterprise.

The book is a primary source for Ovia’s own interpretation of his career. It should be distinguished from independent reporting. It can explain his stated beliefs, but it cannot by itself verify every historical claim about Zenith.

The Numbers Behind the Builder

Metric	Figure	Date/source
Zenith Bank incorporation	30 May 1990	Zenith Bank 2025 audited report
Banking licence	June 1990	Zenith Bank 2025 audited report
Public-company conversion	20 May 2004	Zenith Bank 2025 audited report
NGX/NSE listing	21 October 2004	Zenith Bank 2025 audited report
Branches and business offices	456	31 December 2025
Cash centres	84	31 December 2025
ATMs	2,148	31 December 2025
POS terminals	473,123	31 December 2025
Cards issued	30,274,472	31 December 2025
Gross earnings	₦4.192 trillion	FY2025 audited results
Profit before tax	₦1.263 trillion	FY2025 audited results
Profit after tax	₦1.041 trillion	FY2025 audited results
Total assets	Approximately ₦31.46 trillion	31 December 2025
Proposed total dividend	₦10 per share	FY2025 annual report, subject to shareholder ratification
Jim Ovia direct and indirect shareholding	14.13 percent	31 December 2025
Foundation scholarships and programmes	More than ₦1 billion in scholarships	Foundation website, undated current figure
Youths empowered by foundation	More than 3,500	Foundation website, undated current figure
ICT entrepreneurs empowered	More than 500	Foundation website, undated current figure

The 2025 financial figures are audited group figures. They should not be presented as the financial performance of Jim Ovia personally.

Awards and Recognition

Recognition attached to Zenith Bank is more relevant to the institutional story than to Ovia as an individual.

Zenith’s official corporate profile lists:

• The Banker’s Bank of the Year for Nigeria.
• World Finance awards for commercial banking.
• Corporate-governance recognition.
• Retail Banking of the Year awards.
• Inclusion among leading global banks by Tier-1 capital.

The bank also says it was ranked Nigeria’s number-one bank by Tier-1 capital in The Banker’s 2023 Top 1000 World Banks ranking.

Ovia has received Nigerian national recognition, including the Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic, according to company and biographical materials. The exact award date and official gazette reference should be confirmed before publication.

The more meaningful recognition is institutional durability. Zenith has survived the founder’s move from executive management, banking consolidation, technology shifts and multiple CEO transitions.

Education and Thought Leadership

Academic and professional education

• BSc in Business Administration, Southern University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 1977.
• MBA, University of Louisiana at Monroe, 1979.
• Executive management education at Harvard Business School.

Book

• Africa Rise and Shine, ForbesBooks, 2018.

Public ideas

Ovia’s published work and foundation materials emphasise:

• Entrepreneurial courage.
• African business ownership.
• Technology adoption.
• Education.
• Youth empowerment.
• Long-term institution building.

These are documented themes in his book and foundation’s public mission. They should not be presented as private motivations beyond what he has publicly stated.

The Builder’s Playbook

Treat technology as operating infrastructure

Zenith’s public history repeatedly links its development to ICT investment and digital channels. The lesson is not simply to “use technology.” It is to place technology inside the operating model from the beginning.

Start with a valuable institutional customer

Zenith’s corporate customer base gave it exposure to complex financial needs and recurring transaction flows. A business serving institutional customers can develop capabilities that later support mass-market expansion.

Build trust through repeatable systems

Banking depends on reliability. Values such as transparency, professionalism and service only matter when translated into processes, controls, technology and employee behaviour.

Raise public capital when scale requires it

Zenith’s public listing in 2004 gave the institution access to a wider ownership base and greater public accountability. The move also prepared it for a more demanding regulatory and competitive environment.

Develop successors before they are needed

The appointment of Umeoji after a long career within Zenith demonstrates the value of internal leadership pipelines. Succession is more credible when it is supported by years of executive development rather than a last-minute replacement.

Distinguish the founder’s role from the institution’s role

The bank’s governance structure separates chairman and GMD responsibilities. That separation is essential if a founder-built organisation is to become a durable public company.

The Business Ecosystem

The main institutions connected to Ovia and Zenith include:

• Zenith Bank Plc.
• Zenith Bank Ghana.
• Zenith Bank Sierra Leone.
• Zenith Bank The Gambia.
• Zenith Bank UK.
• Zenith Bank Paris.
• Zenith Pensions Custodian.
• Zenith Nominees.
• Nigerian Exchange.
• Central Bank of Nigeria.
• Securities and Exchange Commission.
• Union Bank of Nigeria, formerly Barclays Bank Nigeria.
• Southern University.
• University of Louisiana at Monroe.
• Harvard Business School.
• Jim Ovia Foundation.
• Youth Empowerment and ICT Foundation.
• ForbesBooks.

Where He Is Today

During Zenith Bank’s 2025 financial year, Jim Ovia served as chairman. A July 2026 report stated that he subsequently retired from the chairmanship after completing his applicable tenure. The latest NGX filing should be checked to confirm the current chairman.

His continuing public association with the Jim Ovia Foundation remains documented through the foundation’s official website, which reports more than 3,500 youths empowered and more than 500 ICT entrepreneurs supported.

What Comes Next

Zenith Bank’s published materials indicate continued investment in technology, customer service, international operations, risk management and growth across its commercial, corporate, retail and consumer banking businesses.

The bank’s stated international ambition includes expanding the Zenith brand across African, European and Asian markets. This is an institutional aspiration, not evidence that specific new branches or subsidiaries have been approved.

For Ovia personally, the most clearly documented continuing platform is the Jim Ovia Foundation, focused on education, scholarships, youth leadership and ICT entrepreneurship. No specific new business acquisition or bank transaction should be attributed to him without a fresh public announcement.

Brands.Ng Perspective

Jim Ovia’s importance in Nigerian business history lies in the durability of the institution he built.

Zenith Bank was not the first Nigerian bank, and Ovia did not operate in a vacuum. The company benefited from regulatory reforms, a growing private sector, telecommunications expansion, public-market development and the work of thousands of employees and executives.

What Ovia did was assemble those opportunities into a durable operating system.

He built a bank around technology before digital banking became the industry’s dominant language. He used public capital to support scale. He positioned Zenith around corporate and institutional relationships while building retail distribution. He expanded internationally without abandoning the Nigerian base. Most importantly, he created a leadership pipeline that allowed the bank to appoint executives from within.

That record deserves recognition, but it also requires scrutiny. Founder influence, shareholding, executive succession, customer complaints, fraud risk, regulatory compliance and international expansion all remain relevant to the institution’s future.

The lasting question is not whether Jim Ovia built a successful bank. The evidence answers that clearly. The more consequential question is whether Zenith can continue to evolve as a public financial institution whose identity is no longer dependent on its founder.

That is the real test of institution building.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Jim Ovia?

Jim Ovia is a Nigerian banker, entrepreneur and founder of Zenith Bank Plc.

When did Jim Ovia found Zenith Bank?

Zenith Bank was incorporated on 30 May 1990 and began commercial banking operations in June or July 1990, depending on the historical company document cited.

What is Jim Ovia known for?

He is best known for building Zenith Bank into a major Nigerian and African financial institution and for supporting youth education and ICT entrepreneurship through his foundation.

What did Jim Ovia study?

He studied Business Administration at Southern University in Louisiana and earned an MBA from the University of Louisiana at Monroe. He also completed executive education at Harvard Business School.

Who is the current CEO of Zenith Bank?

Zenith Bank appointed Adaora Umeoji group managing director and CEO effective 1 June 2024. Current leadership should be checked against the latest bank and NGX disclosures.

Did Jim Ovia retire from Zenith Bank?

He moved from executive management into the chairman’s role and was listed as chairman during the 2025 financial year. A July 2026 report stated that he later retired as chairman after completing his applicable tenure.

What is the Jim Ovia Foundation?

It is a youth-development and education organisation focused on scholarships, leadership development, ICT literacy and support for young entrepreneurs.