The Africa Lead at OpenAI, Emmanuel Lubanzadio; the Managing Director and Head of Sub-Saharan Africa at the Bank of America, Yvonne Ike; Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, and Nigerian entrepreneur and Founding Partner of Future Africa, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, are among experts expected to headline the 2025 International Week of the University of Lagos (UNILAG).
With the theme “Equitable Partnerships and the Future of AI in Africa,” the week-long event will be held from Monday, 13 to Friday, 17 October, at the university’s main campus in Akoka, Lagos.
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The five-day programme will focus on artificial intelligence and global collaboration, bringing together senior government officials, development partners, academics, financiers, and technology innovators from within and outside Africa.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, is also expected to attend.
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Event highlights
According to the organisers, in a statement released on Saturday, Mr Tijani, Mr Lubanzadio, and Ms Ike will deliver keynote speeches on the theme of the programme.
A special session on public procurement and digital governance will feature Nigeria’s Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) Director-General, Adebowale Adedokun, who will speak on the country’s transition to digital procurement and how the reform can drive transparency, inclusion, and innovation-led growth.
The event will also spotlight young innovators redefining Africa’s tech landscape, including Adeleke Eniola, a final-year Applied Physics student at UNILAG and creator of RiaScope, an AI-powered diagnostic tool designed to detect malaria affordably in low-resource communities.
Organisers said her innovation reflects the promise of local ingenuity in tackling public health challenges through accessible technology.
Throughout the week, plenary and technical sessions will explore topics such as ethical AI governance, data stewardship, educational innovation, startup financing, and the digitalisation of government systems.
“The convergence of diverse expertise is expected to produce actionable outcomes, including policy recommendations, academic partnerships, and investment linkages that strengthen Africa’s digital future,” the statement noted.
The panellists include Diana Mitlin of the University of Manchester, who doubles as the Chief Executive Officer of African Cities Research Consortium (ACRC); Head of Cooperation, EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Massimo De Luca; Matthew Guah of South Carolina State University, USA, and the Acting Director, NITDA IT Hub (NITHub), Victor Odumuyiwa.
Remarks from organisers
UNILAG’s Vice-Chancellor, Folasade Ogunsola, a professor, said the university is building bridges between academia, industry, and government to ensure Africa’s engagement with technology is inclusive and future-driven.
“By bringing OpenAI and other global actors to the table this time, we aim to ensure that Africa’s engagement with technology is equitable, forward-looking, and inclusive,” Mrs Ogunsola said.
“This year’s focus on equitable AI partnerships comes at a critical moment when Africa must shape its own voice and strategy in the global technology ecosystem, and it is our vision at UNILAG to make the continent future-ready.”
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In his comments, the institution’s Director of International Relations, Partnerships and Prospects (IRPP), Ismail Ibraheem, who also serves as Chairman of the Planning Committee, said the 2025 International Week reflects the university’s global vision and commitment to breaking partnership barriers.
“UNILAG has always been a space for knowledge exchange and international collaborations,” Mr Ibraheem said. “Since its inception in 2019, the International Week has gone beyond being a ceremonial event to becoming a prolific platform for practical collaborations.”
The professor added that the 2025 edition reinforces UNILAG’s longstanding tradition of international engagement, highlighting its role in shaping policy discussions around innovation and global partnerships.
UNILAG continues to maintain institutional collaborations with global organisations, including Nottingham Trent University, the African Cities Research Consortium (ACRC), the African Engineering and Technology (AFRETEC) Network, embassies, and development partners.
These partnerships, the university said, foster research, academic mobility, and skills development programmes that support Africa’s growing knowledge economy.
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