Olusegun Enitan Dada’s journey into technology has been driven by one question: how do systems really work? He started off watching satellite antennas and arcade consoles as a curious child; now, he’s built ITH Holdings, a multi-entity technology institution.
After narrowly missing out on studying his first-choice course, Computer Engineering, at the University of Lagos, Dada graduated with a degree in Technology Education and has since built a parallel professional path for himself.
In this edition of After Hours, he unpacks the discipline, structure, and long-term thinking behind his approach to technology.
Early encounters with technology
Growing up, access to technology wasn’t as simple as turning on a smart TV. In the days before satellite television became commonplace, you had to go out of your way to watch a football match or catch international news.
I was fascinated by how it all worked. How does a satellite dish pull signals from the sky? How are cables connected to homes? Why did some people have access while others didn’t? How exactly did the system function?
That curiosity extended to video games. When the early PlayStations and arcade-style game centres became popular, I spent time around them, playing Street Fighter and football games, but more importantly, wondering how they were built. How did these systems process commands so instantly? How did the graphics respond to human touch?
Looking back, those weren’t just childhood interests. They were the beginning of systems thinking.
Very early on, I realised that tools matter. And to truly leverage tools, you have to understand them. For me, technology became less about gadgets and more about understanding structure, why systems fail, how processes break, and how to design them to last.
When I sat for JAMB, I was determined to study Computer Engineering at the University of Lagos. I wanted to understand how systems work at their core. My second choice was Systems Engineering, though I barely knew what that meant at the time. Unfortunately, I missed the cutoff for Computer Engineering by a narrow margin and wasn’t admitted to my second-choice program either.
Victoria Fakiya – Senior Writer
Techpoint Digest
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I eventually studied Technology Education and graduated in 2010.
Building a parallel career path
From my first year at university, I enrolled in a computer training school. If I couldn’t study Computer Engineering formally, I would build the expertise myself.
This was before online learning platforms became mainstream. There was no easy access to YouTube tutorials, LinkedIn Learning, or other digital academies. Training was expensive, resources were limited, and around that same period, I lost my father. Financially and emotionally, it was a difficult time.
I used my allowances to pay for professional certifications. I trekked long distances to attend training sessions. I made sacrifices because I knew I wanted mastery, not just a degree. While studying Technology Education, I was simultaneously building a professional career in IT, particularly in networking.
During my SIWES (industrial training), I was determined to work with leading IT firms in Victoria Island, Lagos. I had already earned relevant certifications, so I was confident in my skills.
But the problem was my course of study. Because I studied Technology Education and not Computer Science or Engineering, I was repeatedly turned down. My certifications didn’t matter as much as my degree.
I returned to campus and prepared to do my IT training within the university. A company then noticed my certifications and called to offer me a job managing a client’s environment during my six-month IT period, with an attractive salary. But I declined.
The decision surprised many people. I turned it down because I knew it would consume my time and derail my professional development plans. I still had certifications to pursue, and I had a longer-term vision. Instead, I completed my IT in school and continued building.
Before graduating, I set up an IT training programme within the university. With the support of my late course adviser, I used our department’s space to train students in professional IT certifications. Initially, I charged ₦5,000, but my classmates attended for free. I marketed the programme across YabaTech and other institutions as well.
The first cohort was successful. Fees increased to ₦20,000 in later cohorts. But more importantly, I had discovered something: institution building.
What began as a campus training initiative became IT Horizons. I registered the business name in 2009 while still in school. By 2012, it was incorporated as a limited liability company.
Over time, I climbed the professional ladder from networking and security to enterprise infrastructure and consulting. Interestingly, I later worked as a senior resource in organisations that had once rejected me for an IT placement.
IT Horizons evolved into an enterprise technology solutions company. In 2019, Zoja Technologies, which had initially operated as a unit within IT Horizons, became a standalone entity focused on venture-studio thinking. From there came Zojapay, our digital finance platform.
Each business unit, IT Horizons, Zojatech, and Zojapay, is led by its own leadership team. My role is strategic oversight, not operational micromanagement.
If it were about money alone, the structure would be different. But I am building institutions designed to outlive their founders.
Technology as a clarity engine
In my daily life, technology is not primarily about social media. It is about dashboards.
I use technology to monitor cloud infrastructure performance, financial trade lines, execution metrics, and board-level engagement. AI-assisted tools now compress what would have taken days into under 30 minutes.
For me, technology is a clarity engine.
From enterprise collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams and Slack to financial dashboards such as Power BI, AI tools like ChatGPT, and communication platforms like WhatsApp and LinkedIn, each tool serves a specific purpose. However, I don’t chase trends; I recognise that tools evolve. If a platform doesn’t provide structured, measurable value, I don’t adopt it.
One unusual way I use technology is through smart home monitoring systems. With defined metrics, I receive real-time alerts for abnormalities, from security breaches to unexpected access to restricted areas. It gives me peace of mind because systems, when designed properly, reduce uncertainty.
If I were to build a new product to make life easier, it wouldn’t be incremental; it would be systemic. Through Zojapay, my vision is to build Africa’s financial operating system, an aggregated platform where payments, subscriptions, services, and financial needs converge. Instead of juggling multiple systems, users should access everything from a unified infrastructure layer.
Challenges are constant. Building in Nigeria requires resilience because you’re dealing with foreign exchange volatility, regulatory policies, infrastructure constraints, and talent retention amid job-hopping. We compete not only with local firms but with global organisations, often with fewer resources and infrastructure limitations. However, talent is our greatest asset.
I believe Africa is moving from activity to infrastructure. Payments are stabilising, identity systems are strengthening, data is becoming localised, cloud adoption is maturing, and institutions are becoming system-led rather than personality-driven.
In the next decade, Africa will not take a back seat in global technology conversations. With our population and opportunity scale, we will define new operational standards.
