Ndubuisi Ekekwe (born July 1975) is a Nigerian professor, inventor, engineer, author, and entrepreneur. He is the founder of First Atlantic Semiconductors & Microelectronics – West Africa’s leading embedded systems company. His working experience includes Analog Devices Corp where he co-designed a generation accelerometer for the iPhone and created the company’s first wafer level chip scale package for inertial sensor. He is a player in the U.S. semiconductor industry where he develops innovative microchip and invented a micro-controller for medical robots. Ndubuisi Ekekwe was named in 2020 by Guardian Newspapers as one of 60 Nigerians In 60 Years Making “Nigerian Lives Matter”.
Early life and education
Ekekwe was born in Ovim, Abia State southeast Nigeria. He is from the Igbo ethnic group in Nigeria. He attended the Secondary Technical School where he set a record by obtaining eight distinctions. He then proceeded to the Federal University of Technology, Owerri where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in Electrical engineering and graduated as his class’ best student. Ndubuisi holds two doctoral and four master’s degrees, including an MTech from Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ms from Tuskegee University, USA and MBA from University of Calabar. He obtained two Doctorates in Management from St. Clements University and Electrical & Computer Engineering where he specialised in Microelectronics & Medical Robotics Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University, USA. Some of his research work involved manufacturing of integrated circuits with the application of alternative energies, biomedical engineering, medical robotics and neuromorphic engineering.
Professional career
Ekekwe is a US semiconductor industry veteran and has served in the United States National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center E&D Committee. Ekekwe is a Co-Chairman of JPL Financial Group, a California-based financial advisory firm which syndicates capital for projects in Africa. As the founder of African Institution of Technology, he facilitates the provision of practical education support, encourages enactment of technology policies and facilitates the bottom-up creativity technology emanating from African economies.He recently co-founded Atlantic Americas, an engineering firm, handling major operations in most parts of northern Nigeria. He has also worked with Diamond Bank in Nigeria. Ekekwe invented a special method of controlling the dexterity of medical robots used for invasive surgeries. In 2017, the United States Government got assignee rights to the patent.
Ekekwe has written for the Harvard Business Review and was recently made a selection board member of the $100 Million Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme. Ekekwe is also certified in key fields in technology and has to his name high ranking publications and technical papers ranked among the leading journals and conferences about technology. He also has two pending patents on Microelectronics and works as a consultant to universities, tech firms and the World Bank.
The African Leadership Network has honoured him as a “New Generation Leader for Africa”. He is also a TED Fellow. His book ‘Nanotechnology and Microelectronics: Global Diffusion, Economics and Policy’ received the IGI Global “Book of the Year” Award in 2010. He was honoured by the World Economic Forum in 2013 as a Young Global Leader for his professional accomplishments and commitment to society. He has also been honoured for Outstanding Leadership by the National Youth Council Of Nigeria. He is the Lead Faculty in Tekedia Institute’s Mini-MBA, an innovation management four-month program, optimized for business execution and growth, with digital operational overlay.
The Dangote System: Techniques for Building Conglomerates
In 2020, Ekekwe released a book he titled “The Dangote System: Techniques for Building Conglomerates” about Africa’s Business mogul Aliko Dangote. According to him “The goal of the book is to demonstrate the power of vision, taking action and finding opportunities in markets. Aliko Dangote, the founder of Dangote Group, an industrialized conglomerate, is one of the most important people in African business”.
Awards and recognition
- 60 Nigerians In 60 Years Making “Nigerian Lives Matter”- Guardian Newspapers (2020)
- 2019 Technology Connoisseur of the Year
- United States ERC/National Science Foundation Fellowship
- Johns Hopkins University Fellowship
- IGI Global 2010 “Book of the Year” Award
- IBM Global Entrepreneur Award
- World Economic Forum Young Global Leader
- SAMSTAG fellowship
- 2010 Who’s Who in America
- 2009 Strathmore’s Who’s Who Worldwide
- 2018 NYCN Award for Outstanding Leadership