Leadership, Austin Okere believes, is tested not when conditions are ideal, but when they are not. Looking back on his years steering CWG Plc, the company he founded and grew into a regional technology powerhouse, one principle stands out above all others: a culture where excuses had no place and accountability was non-negotiable.
“I remember when I used to run the company that I founded, CWG PLC. We had a policy called no excuses,” he says. For Okere, excuses were never neutral explanations; they were silent barriers to performance. “Excuses are not things that will win you any prize. I mean, all the best excuses exist, perfect ones, so we are not doing anybody any favor by coming up with ironclad excuses for things you didn’t achieve.” In his view, the danger of excuses lies not in their logic but in their comfort. They often sound reasonable, even compelling, yet they quietly excuse inaction and lower expectations.
In the competitive world of business, where targets must be met regardless of market headwinds, Okere argues that excuses weaken both individual and institutional resolve. Challenges are inevitable: funding constraints, infrastructure gaps, policy uncertainty, and market volatility, but the difference between growth and stagnation lies in how leaders respond. “Excuses are just reasons that you craft for yourself not to do what possibly could have been achieved with the correct mindset,” he notes. That mindset, he suggests, must shift from why it couldn’t be done to how it was done in spite of everything.
This philosophy reframes achievement. Success is no longer defined by the absence of obstacles but by the ability to push through them. Using “in spite of” rather than excuses forces accountability: targets are achieved in spite of limited resources, in spite of operational setbacks, in spite of external pressures. It is this approach that encourages resilience, creativity, and ownership, qualities essential for entrepreneurs and corporate leaders navigating today’s uncertain business environment.
Okere’s stance resonates strongly in emerging markets, where structural challenges can easily become permanent justifications for underperformance. His message is not that difficulties should be ignored, but that they should never become final answers. Progress, he insists, belongs to those who acknowledge constraints yet refuse to be defined by them.
Austin Okere’s views carry particular weight given his background. He is the founder of CWG Plc, one of West Africa’s pioneering information technology companies, which grew from a modest startup into a publicly listed firm providing enterprise solutions to banks, telecom operators, governments, and large corporations across the region. His leadership journey spans decades of navigating technological disruption, economic cycles, and institutional reform, all within markets that demanded both grit and adaptability.
After stepping back from executive leadership at CWG, Okere has continued to influence Africa’s business landscape through mentorship, advisory roles, and thought leadership focused on scaling businesses, corporate governance, and leadership development. His reflections on excuses are therefore less about personal discipline alone and more about building organisations and economies that thrive under pressure.
Excuses may explain failure, but they do not prevent it. Okere’s career offers a simple lesson for business leaders: results are earned by those who choose execution over explanation and press forward in spite of the hurdles before them.
