What began as a young graduate’s search for a means of survival has evolved into an ambitious technology enterprise with a growing footprint in Nigeria’s ICT ecosystem.
For Dr Stephen Akuma, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of SACS Computers Ltd, the journey to establish the company began with a personal encounter with the prohibitive cost of acquiring quality ICT skills.
That experience, he said, eventually crystallised into a simple but powerful question: “There must be a way to make world-class ICT training affordable to our people without compromising quality.”
That question became the foundation of SACS Computers.
Speaking at the official opening and commissioning of the company’s new Head Office and Training Centre, Dr Akuma recalled how the business began after he completed his studies and started looking for ways to put his ICT skills to work.
He had earlier sought additional training at some foreign-owned IT training centres in Nigeria, only to discover that some professional courses cost between N1 million and N2 million—far beyond the reach of the average Nigerian.
Rather than let the experience discourage him, Dr Akuma turned the challenge into an opportunity.
“Shortly after returning from my studies in the United Kingdom, I decided to establish a training centre in Makurdi that could provide high-quality, internationally relevant ICT training to Nigerians at a fraction of the prevailing cost,” he said.
SACS Computers was registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission in 2009 and initially operated from Abuja. But its broader mission, according to the founder, was never merely about building a company.
It was about using technology and skills development to create opportunities for ordinary Nigerians, particularly young people who might otherwise be excluded from the rapidly changing digital economy.
To ensure that a young person from an ordinary Benue family could acquire skills capable of opening doors not only in Nigeria but anywhere in the world, SACS deliberately adopted a model built around three principles: quality, affordability, and practical skills.
1,500 trained, 700 beneficiaries of free programme
Between 2020 and 2026, SACS Computers said it had trained and certified more than 1,500 people through its Makurdi centre.
Its intervention has also extended beyond fee-paying students.
Under the IDEAS project, in partnership with the World Bank and the Federal Ministry of Education, the company provided free ICT training to 700 students.
Its training programmes have covered data analysis, programming, web development, basic computer appreciation, graphic design, software and other digital skills. It has also introduced holiday and short courses designed to expose children to technology at an early age.
Beyond classroom training, the company has provided industrial training opportunities to students from universities across Nigeria, giving them practical experience to complement their academic education.
According to Dr. Akuma, the impact of the training is already visible in the lives of former students.
“Many of our graduates have secured meaningful employment using the skills acquired at our centre,” he said.
Others, he added, have returned to their workplaces and used their newly acquired digital skills to automate processes that were previously carried out manually.
Scholarships for the disadvantaged
But while affordability remains at the heart of SACS Computers’ philosophy, Dr Akuma acknowledged that even relatively low training fees could still be out of reach for some talented young Nigerians.
To bridge that gap, the company partnered with the Stephen Akuma Network Foundation to provide scholarships for intelligent but financially disadvantaged students.
The scholarship initiative, he explained, is sustained through the support of individuals, organisations and institutions that share the belief that education and skills development can transform lives.
Dr Akuma expressed appreciation to the World Bank, the Federal Ministry of Education, and a number of individuals who have supported the initiative, including Arc. Dr. Asema Achado, Mr. Terwase Swande, Dr. Maryam Abubakar-Obeya, Mr. Terver Kwegh and Mr. Clement Beetseh.
He called for more individuals, organisations and development partners to join the initiative.
Taking ICT training beyond the classroom
The new SACS Computers facility also represents a shift in the company’s approach to learning.
Dr Akuma said the company had upgraded its Learning Management System to support both synchronous and asynchronous learning.
The development means students can participate in its programmes from virtually anywhere in the world and obtain professional certification without necessarily being physically present at the training centre.
But SACS Computers’ ambition extends beyond training.
The company is increasingly focusing on developing technology-driven solutions to everyday problems.
Among its innovations is the ServiceMan App, designed to connect professional artisans and service providers with customers seeking their services.
The Alumni App also enables schools to maintain relationships with former students while creating opportunities for alumni networking.
Another innovation, the Lecturer Evaluation App, provides a student-centred platform for evaluating academic staff.
For Dr. Akuma, these projects represent only the beginning.
‘We want to disrupt the ICT status quo’
The founder says SACS Computers has set its sights beyond Benue and Nigeria.
“Our vision at SACS Computers is bold—we want to disrupt the ICT status quo, build a globally competitive technology company, and establish SACS Computers as a leading ICT brand in Africa and beyond,” he declared.
He acknowledged, however, that achieving the ambition would require more than the efforts of one person or one company.
“It will require partnerships. It will require innovation. It will require investment,” he said, calling for collaboration among government, industry, academia, development partners and private investors.
For Dr Akuma, commissioning the new head office and training centre is therefore not simply the unveiling of another corporate building. It represents another chapter in a journey that began with a personal struggle and has grown into a mission to make technology skills more accessible.
He paid tribute to SACS Computers’ staff, trainers, students, partners, clients, sponsors, friends and well-wishers, as well as those who contributed to the construction of the new facility.
The SACS founder also acknowledged his mentor, Microsoft Vice-President, Dr Georg Buscher, for his guidance and direction.
Dr. Akuma summed up the company’s aspiration in a vision that goes beyond bricks and mortar:
“From this place, ideas will be transformed into innovations, skills will be transformed into opportunities, and opportunities will be transformed into a better life.”
For a company that began with the question of how an ordinary Nigerian could afford world-class ICT training, the new centre appears to be both a milestone and a statement of intent: That the digital future should not belong only to those who can afford it, but should also be accessible to those willing to learn, innovate and build.
