Ezekwe Receives Excellence Award at UNIZIK AI Workshop

The Managing Director/CEO of Arrowconn Group, and Chairman Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce Professional Services and Consultancy Trade Group, Dr. Emeka Ezekwe, was celebrated as a key figure at a landmark technical workshop organised by the Department of Business Education, Faculty of Technology and Vocational Education, Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka.

The event, held at the ASUU-NAU Secretariat, focused on the theme, “Technicalities and Application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Business and Education.” Ezekwe served as special guest of honour and keynote speaker, delivering a compelling address on AI’s transformative role in modern society.

In recognition of his philanthropic contributions, academic support, and dedication to human capital development, Ezekwe was presented with the Philanthropist Award and Award of Excellence (also described as the Award of Digital Academic Promoter). The honours were conferred by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ugochukwu Bond Stanley Anyaehie, who praised Ezekwe’s commitment to bridging industry and academia.

During his presentation, Ezekwe described the current AI surge as a civilizational shift rather than a mere technological upgrade. He compared AI’s rapid trajectory to past innovations like electricity, computers, the internet, and mobile phones, which progressed from luxuries to necessities.

“AI is reshaping value creation, knowledge sharing, and decision-making at unprecedented speed,” Ezekwe emphasized. “It has moved from experimentation to execution, powering business forecasting, academic research, digital learning, and strategic decisions.”

He warned that in business, delays lead to losses, while in education, irrelevance spells failure. “AI is no longer optional—it is a necessity,” he declared. Ezekwe highlighted the critical AI skill gap, driven by curriculum lags, limited training, and fear of the unknown, but stressed the bigger danger: exclusion.

“Those who master AI will shape markets, education, and policy; those who lag will be shaped by others,” he said.

Ezekwe outlined AI’s practical advantages for businesses—including data-driven strategies, smarter investments, scalable customer insights, and competitive edges for SMEs—and its potential to help Africa leapfrog development stages for faster wealth creation.

In education, he clarified that AI empowers rather than replaces teachers, enabling personalized learning, efficient lesson planning, assessment support, and accelerated research.