Jim Ovia: From Humble Beginnings To Becoming Nigeria’s Biggest Banker
Jim Ovia’s road to success was anything but linear. His early years were mired by the death of his father due to the inability of his family to fund his medical bills, indicating that the odds were always against him right from the beginning.
Now the founder of Zenith Bank Plc, Nigeria’s tier-1 bank and one of the most profitable financial institutions in Nigeria, Jim Ovia is one of the richest men in Africa with a net worth of $980m.
Before his unprecedented success, Jim Ovia started his education at Ika Grammar School, Bojiboji-Owa for his secondary education before travelling abroad for his tertiary education.
While studying for a degree in business administration, Jim Ovia developed a keen interest in computer science and information technology, an interest so strong that he incorporated it into other interests of his. His early interest in technology came into fruition when Zenith Bank became the first Nigerian company to operate a functional website in 1995.
“When technology flourished elsewhere, Nigeria struggled to use basic telecommunications. Through several efforts of trial and error, and our fair share of luck, Zenith found itself leveraging wireless capability. We saw the nation rapidly digitizing and understood the need to implement the necessary technology quickly,” he later revealed.
He boasts multiple degrees around business and is an alumnus of Harvard Business School. Ovia also has a keen interest in philanthropy, founding the Jim Ovia Foundation in 1998, in recognition of the importance education played in his success.
To date, over 1,500 students have been provided with university scholarships. Recognizing the gap in high-quality secondary education, the Jim Ovia Foundation established James Hope College in his hometown of Agbor, Delta State, a co-educational boarding school that provides scholarships for over 50% of its pupils.
Jim Ovia is featured in Azuh Arinze’s Encounters – Lessons From My Journalism Career, which chronicles the experiences of the author throughout his career. Through this book, Azuh Arinze allows readers to examine 20 years’ worth of journalistic experience in 60 captivating chapters, highlighting some of his encounters with industry heavyweights. Azuh Arinze, who is the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of ‘Yes International!’ served as the Editor of Encomium Weekly from 2003 to 2011.
