INTERVIEW: Apex Tech Hub established to provide digital solutions for brands — founder Oscar Azolibe

Interviews Tech
Okezie Omorogie
July 21, 2025
70

CEO and founder, Apex Tech Hub, Oscar Azolibe. Photo Credit- Oscar Azolibe/LinkIn

Oscar Azolibe is a beacon of progress in the world of tech especially in the African continent, which has been regarded as the global south in terms of technological infrastructure and innovation. A graduate of Mass Communication, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Oscar Azolibe though young is leading the charge and expanding the frontier of technological application and innovation in Nigeria’s South-East region. With his works in tutoring different soft skills to hundreds of young individuals, bringing together a community of tech experts and fostering both individual and societal change, CrispNG as a youth-focused online media outlet decided to engage him in an exclusive interview to share his in-depth knowledge in the world of tech and as tech entrepreneur.

What inspired you to create a tech hub focused on tutoring soft skills in Anambra state, Nigeria?

Basically, I tried to bring in tech solutions, I believe, I have the ability for problem solving especially here in the South-East. So first of all, we started with the issue of working space, trying to provide digital solutions for brands and startups. I was also concerned with individuals who have developed the desires to learn and to have soft skills. To empower the youths with skills, training thousands and hundreds on working experience.

How does your tech hub address the specific needs of the local community?

Uhmm…, first of all, it addresses the specific needs of the community. You know the Ifite community is a very dense community filled with many young individuals most especially students, and these students do have soft skills and online jobs that require good internet service and stable electricity to do these jobs. However, here we are challenged with slow internet, the electricity as well is not something that can encourage people to use their skills. So, in order for everyone to benefit from these resources that are often scarce and limited, is why I founded the Apex Tech Hub. First of all we have created a working experience for people to learn and utilize their soft skills and this we have done. We have created a space where people can have access to uninterrupted electricity. More also, we want the youths around here to be actively involved in tech skills, build their careers and themselves.

How have you overcome challenges in establishing and scaling your tech hub, particularly in the area of funding, infrastructure, or local talent acquisition?

One thing about these businesses to start and to grow is funding, when you are looking at starting a tech hub as an entrepreneur, one major issue is funding, you have to get the necessary contact and the people that can share your visions. As I said earlier, you must know your part and where you want to be. When I began, I used my personal savings to create this tech space, everything that is here is and the people that work here is by my personal effort, I didn’t receive any financial aid from anywhere or anybody. Gradually, I started talking to people that can share my visions and build with me. I am still building, the whole point is that tech isn’t something that is well recognized over here. The tech industry, here in the South-east is still growing, yes they are significant strides but it isn’t well pronounced, so starting a tech hub, you have to put in all your efforts and begin gradually, your vision to do things will be your guide and what can set you apart from what other people are doing. Over the years, we have experienced competitions, we have experienced challenges, regardless we have been able to navigate these challenges because of our resilient spirits and our dedication, here we are very motivated, we are very passionate about providing digital solutions and that is what Apex is here for.

What impact have you seen from your tech hub on the Nigerian tech ecosystem?

Ok…the impact that I have seen on the Nigerian tech ecosystem from this tech hub is that it has trained over 200 students to acquire different tech skills and they are doing well in different areas, where they can work for clients abroad but our major concern is that we are want them to use these skills for their own benefits, we are also concerned in helping these students that have learnt tech skills here to build their portfolio… the impact so far that I have seen is 0.00000000001% impact on the employment sector in Nigeria, I mean we have taken steps to make sure that these skills learnt will be beneficial to them and that is one of the impact I have seen and one of the impact that is encouraging me to do more. Apart from that we have been able to attract and save online jobs for a lot of remote workers in Awka, you know before we are always with this issue of working and earning to take care of yourselves, but now that has been settled, because we have been able to save jobs for people, give them the environment to deliver to their clients. Just as I said earlier, the South-east is not prioritizing tech opportunities enough, so we have push our focus beyond this geographical region, because when we compare the tech opportunities we have here with the ones outside this geographical region or anywhere within the country, you can see that the difference is clear and most of them just end up working for clients abroad, beyond their geographical region. Again, we have made this tech hub affordable for people to use and there are so many other aspects like AI, where people are beginning to have interest.How do you ensure that your tech hub remains accessible and inclusive for aspiring tech professionals from diverse backgrounds in Nigeria?Ok…uhmm…you know in this tech hub, one thing we try is to avoid diversity of culture, we don’t believe, neither do we practice that one is above all, whether you are from the South-east region or from other regions within the country, it isn’t something that is always significant. To resolve the concerns on cultural diversity, we try to show the same concern for every tribe. This tech hub is open for anybody to come in and use and anyone who comes in to learn a tech skill or use any of our services, we don’t put ethnicity first, we disregard cultural differences and we try to bring everyone together irresepective of your skills because that is what matters.

What are your long-term goals for the tech hub, and how do you plan to expand its reach or adapt to emerging trends in the future?

Uhm…I don’t think there is any establishment that can stand to day without a structure. Here in Apex Tech Hub, we have implemented a plan to make our tech courses optional and more relatable to any student that desires to learn it, we don’t apply compulsion when you are learning a tech skill. Our mission here is to give young individuals a room to consider, to think and to plan; so like after secondary school, what next? It is important now to get tech skills because we are moving very soon to an era where what you studied while in the university won’t be that important, like to become ery successful, you will have to get some knowledge or the background knowledge of a tech skill and tech will become the main stream of income in the future. We are focusing on expansion, building more infrastructure to teach tech skills to more young Nigerians and then promote innovation in the country, support businesses within the South-east with digital solutions. That is what we hope and plan to do and that is our long-term goal. Currently, we are about to launch our website that contains a whole lot of different tech courses and it can be accessible to anyone willing to learn.

To have access to APEX TECH HUB online course, click this link: APEX ACADEMY ONLINE