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Honoured for leading one of Africa’s most ambitious human capital development initiatives.
Evelyn A. Lewis, Chief Executive Officer of SBTS Group, has been named one of Nigeria’s “50 Most Valuable Personalities in the Digital Economy” by IT Edge News.Africa, a recognition of her groundbreaking contributions to digital transformation, innovation, and youth empowerment across Nigeria.
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The accolade was presented during the “Nigeria: State of the Digital Economy 2025” colloquium and awards ceremony held in Lagos. The event gathered key figures from government, academia, and the private sector to spotlight visionary leaders driving Nigeria’s digital future. The event, hosted by Knowhow Media, publishers of IT Edge News.Africa, brought together top policymakers, tech entrepreneurs, and ecosystem enablers.
Championing Digital Skills and Job Creation in Nigeria
Lewis is being celebrated for his visionary leadership and transformative efforts to equip Nigeria’s youth for the digital economy. Through SBTS Group’s strategic partnership with the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI), he is spearheading a landmark initiative to train 5 million Nigerian youths and generate 50,000 digital jobs by 2030. All of these align with the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) and the federal government’s 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) program.
At the core of this initiative is the Intelligent Capacity Building Model (ICBM)—a proprietary framework developed by Lewis’ led SBTS Group to close the gap between digital training and employment. The ICBM is currently being implemented across DBI campuses, offering in-demand career tracks in:
- Cybersecurity
- Software Development
- Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)
- Digital Entrepreneurship
All tracks align with Nigeria’s NDEPS and the 3MTT) initiative.
New Training & BPO Centres to Launch in Abuja and Enugu
As part of the next phase, SBTS and DBI will launch new BPO and training centres in Abuja and Enugu by June 2025. The new centres are aiming to create over 5,000 jobs in the first phase alone. This rollout is expected to serve as a blueprint for replicable, sustainable digital employment hubs across the country.
Building Digital Infrastructure for Talent and Transparency
Under Lewis’s leadership, SBTS has also developed a national unified digital learning and registration platform for DBI. This system integrates Nigeria’s NIN and BVN identity systems, supports student sponsorships, and enables enterprise partnerships and career tracking—laying the groundwork for a scalable, accountable, and inclusive workforce transformation model.
Vision for a Globally Competitive African Digital Economy
“This award reaffirms our commitment to building Africa’s digital economy from within,” said Dr. Evelyn Lewis. “At SBTS Group, we believe the most powerful resource we can invest in is human capital. We’re proud to be empowering Africa’s youth with skills for today’s and tomorrow’s digital workplace.”
His recognition underlines SBTS Group’s role as a catalyst for high-impact partnerships, digital inclusion, and sustainable development in Africa’s digital landscape.
50 MVPs: Honoring Change-Makers in Nigeria’s Tech Ecosystem
The 50 Most Valuable Personalities (50MVPs) award is an annual initiative recognizing public and private sector leaders advancing Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda. Beyond accolades, the event serves as a forum for critical reflection and dialogue under the theme: “Accelerating Nigeria’s Digital Transformation: Insights on Challenges and Emerging Opportunities.”
Notable honourees for the 2025 edition include:
- Prof. Obadare Peter Adewale, CVO, Digital Encode
- Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs & Poverty Reduction
- Ayọ̀wándé Àdalémọ, Founder & CEO, Wave5Wireless
- Mr. Ayowande Adalemo, Founder, Wave5Wireless Ltd
- Engr. Shuaibu Kabir Bello, CEO, KMDC
- Dr Krishnan Ranganath, Regional Executive – West Africa & Morocco- at Africa Data Centres (ADC)
- Hon. Suleiman Isah, Commissioner for Communications Technology & Digital Economy
- Daser David, President/CEO, Digital Bridge Institute
- Engr. Olawole Owoeye, Co-founder, Cedarview Communications
- Engr. Ike Nnamani, CEO, Digital Realty
