Nigeria Innovation Summit (NIS), 2023
West Africa’s Biggest Innovation Event
Theme: Innovating for the Future
October 6th, 2023. Shell Hall, Muson Centre, Lagos Island, Lagos.
Time: 9am -3.30pm
EVENT OUTCOMES
Why you should attend NIS 2023
Network & Have fun
Innovating is fun. The best and brightest minds gather at NIS, come meet them all. Experience loads of programme activities you don’t want to miss out on. NIS isn’t your regular event. Come pumped.
Business & Career Growth
Don’t miss the chance to elevate. Your next employer or business partner may be sitting right next to you at NIS. We won’t be surprised
C-Suites Connect
Network with key decision makers and stakeholders across reputable organisations.
Great Speakers
Hear directly from great leaders and derive valuable insights to unlock your next opportunities.
Engage Authorities
Engage governments directly, and strike your long overdue private-public partnerships. At NIS, they can’t but listen to you.
Investment Opportunities
You need an environment that eliminates barriers & bureaucracies when meeting new investors directly. Come prepared to raise. Let's be your plug.
NIS 2023 Speakers

Jonny Baxter
British Deputy High Commissioner (DHC) in Lagos.

Jonny Baxter
British Deputy High Commissioner (DHC) in Lagos.
Mr. Jonny Baxter has been appointed the British Deputy High Commissioner (DHC) in Lagos, Nigeria.
Jonny is an experienced diplomat who has worked in different parts of the world. Prior to becoming the British Deputy High Commissioner (DHC) in Lagos, he served as His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Republic of South Sudan from January 2021-July 2023 and Deputy Director, Finance and Performance Department at the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office - FCDO (then DFID) from 2018-2020.
He has held various senior positions in the Department of International Development (DFID). These included running the Human Development Department from 2017-2018, Principal Private Secretary to the Secretary of State from 2014-2016, and head of the Higher Education Taskforce Secretariat from 2013-2014 all at the DFID Headquarters, London.
Prior to these roles Jonny did postings in Sudan, Iraq, Guyana and Tanzania.

‘Gbenga Sesan
Executive Director, Paradigm Initiative

‘Gbenga Sesan
Executive Director, Paradigm Initiative
‘Gbenga Sesan is the Executive Director of Paradigm Initiative, a pan-African social enterprise working on digital inclusion and digital rights through its offices in Senegal, Cameroon, Nigeria, Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. He is also a Non-Resident Fellow at the Digital Civil Society Lab at Stanford University.
Before starting Paradigm Initiative, ‘Gbenga led the Lagos Digital Village, a joint project of Junior Achievement of Nigeria, Microsoft, and the Lagos State Government. Originally trained as an Electronic & Electrical Engineer at Obafemi Awolowo University, he completed Executive Education programs at Lagos Business School, New York Group for Technology Transfer, Oxford University, Harvard University, Stanford University, Santa Clara University, the University of the Pacific, and INSEAD.
‘Gbenga’s consulting experience includes assignments completed for numerous institutions, including Microsoft, Harvard University, and United Nations agencies, among others, in over 30 countries.
A Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur of the Year and former member of the United Nations Committee of eLeaders on Youth and ICT, he is a CyberStewards Fellow, Crans Montana Forum Fellow, Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellow, Ashoka Fellow, Our Common Future Fellow, and Cordes Fellow.
‘Gbenga served as a member of the Presidential committees on Harmonization of Information Technology, Telecommunications, and Broadcasting Sectors (2006) and Roadmap for the Achievement of Accelerated Universal Broadband Infrastructure and Services Provision (2013) and was listed by CNN as one of the Top 10 African Tech Voices on Twitter and by Ventures Africa as one of 40 African Legends Under 40. He was appointed to the inaugural leadership panel of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) for a two-year term (2022-2023) by UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
‘Gbenga is married to Temilade Sesan, Ph.D., an Energy Poverty and Development expert.

Dr. Funmi Adewara
Founder/CEO, Mobihealth International

Dr. Funmi Adewara
Founder/CEO, Mobihealth International
Dr. Funmi Adewara is a British-Nigerian Physician and Cambridge trained Bioscience multi-award winning entrepreneur and a globally recognised telehealth expert, with a background in Medicine, Pharmaceutical and Business Development.
Her career spans more than fifteen years working within the NHS UK and a stint in the Pharmaceutical industry as a Drug Safety Physician. Funmi is passionate about changing the poor narrative of healthcare lin underserved communities and has led a multi-disciplinary team to design comprehensive telehealth program that addresses multiple challenges such as shortage of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals, long distance travel, and high treatment costs.
Dr Adewara contributes to policy formulation on healthcare and particularly around telehealth programs for Africa at both local and regional levels serving as an external reviewer to the Africa Development Bank, contributor to United Nations, World Health Summit and the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, MDCN. Dr Adewara has earned herself and Mobihealth multiple awards globally.
She was one of the seven Winners of the World Bank SDGs&Her 2020 Awards amongst 2400 entries globally; Sanofi Africa-Tech Challenge (Winner, Category 2) which held virtually in Paris on the 11th of June 2020 amongst 268 contestants across 34 countries. Under Funmi's visionary leadership, Mobihealth pioneered telehealth in the Nigerian Air Force in 2021, the 1st of it's kind on the continent.
Funmi is an International Speaker featured on many platforms including the United Nations Committee on Science Technology and Innovation, 2019-2020 panel ''Harnessing Rapid Technological Change for Inclusive and Sustainable Development'', a contribution towards policy paper; The CSIS Africa Policy Accelerator, APA, a program committed to charting new directions for U.S. - Africa policy. Funmi is an External Peer Reviewer of the Global Community of Practice (G-COP) Policy Documents on Policies for Inclusive Health in Post COVID-19 Africa and a Speaker at the African Development Institute Policy Seminar on; Building Resilient Health Systems; Policies for Inclusive Health in Post-COVID-19 Africa sponsored by the African Development Bank, AfDB.
As one of the winners of the African Female Tech Founders (FTF) Award sponsored by the UK government, Funmi, was invited by the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson Africa-UK investment summit in January 2020. Funmi was named the Winner of the Forbes Woman African Technology and Innovation Awards 2023 in South Africa. She was selected top 50 Africa's Business Heroes by Jack Ma's Foundation and is in the NASDAQ Entrepreneurial Milestone Maker Summer cohort program.
Funmi featured as a panelist on Forbes Africa Leading Women Summit 2023; Citadel of Power, The West African Renaissance, Forbes Africa and Philips’ Africa Future Health Summit by CNBC, United Nations Committee on Science Technology and Innovation, African Development Bank, African Investment Forum, Channels TV, BBC radio’s Focus Africa, Channel 5 TV in the UK, Financial Times London, Telegraph and Voice of Africa - Largest African diaspora news channel. Funmi is recognized as one of the Most Influential People of African descent. In October 2022, under her leadership, Mobihealth was awarded a $1m grant by the United States Trade and Development Agency to support expansion of telehealth services to other African Countries.

Oyinlola Israel
Founder/President, African AI Foundation

Oyinlola Israel
Founder/President, African AI Foundation
Oyinlola Israel is the founder and president of the African AI Foundation, a non-profit organization aiming to democratize access for Africans to learning artificial intelligence and future-proof their careers and businesses, and giving Africans the skills that make them relevant during the AI revolution.
He technology executive and a co-founder at Baseone - a pan-African Banking as a Service infrastructure company. Having built and incubated several multi-million-dollar businesses as an entrepreneur in residence, many of which have been able to scale across multiple countries.
Israel is passionate about the growth of African human capital and resource, and passing on the knowledge acquired from over 15 years of active involvement in technology.

Dr. Victor Odumuyiwa
Director of NITDA IT Hub (NITHUB)

Dr. Victor Odumuyiwa
Director of NITDA IT Hub (NITHUB)
Dr. Victor Odumuyiwa is a dynamic and visionary leader in the field of Information and Communication technology (ICT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) with a passion for driving innovation and fostering collaboration. As the current Director of NITDA IT Hub (NITHUB) at the prestigious University of Lagos, he has created a thriving technology ecosystem that brings together academia, industries, entrepreneurs, start-ups, and investors. By formulating cutting-edge strategies for product development, innovation, and growth, he has positioned the hub as a dynamic center of technological advancements.
In his previous role as the Director of the Centre for Information Technology and Systems (CITS) at the University of Lagos, he spearheaded digital transformation initiatives that optimized operational efficiency and drove innovation across the institution. By revamping the e-infrastructure, expanding e-services, and architecting innovative solutions, he ensured seamless business continuity and positioned the university as a leader in the ICT space.
Committed to shaping the future of ICT and AI, he leverages strategic partnerships and inspires innovation to make a lasting impact on the global tech landscape. Through his visionary leadership, he aims to drive transformative change and propel organizations towards unparalleled success.
Dr. Odumuyiwa obtained his PhD degree from Lorraine University in France and he is a faculty in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Lagos. He is a co-Principal Investigator for the IDRC funded EduAIHub project focusing on enhancing Education in Africa through AI research. He is the outgoing president of the West African chapter of the International Society for Knowledge Organisation (ISKO-WA).
He is also the current chairman of the Association of Massachusetts Institute of Technology Trained African University Lecturers (AMTAUL). He is a member of the Advisory Board of Data Science Nigeria. He is also a member of the IDEAMAPs Data Ecosystem Advisory Board. He is a member of Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) and also a member of Computer Professionals of Nigeria (CPN). He has currently been appointed as a member of the planning and implementation committee of the proposed National Skills University of Nigeria. He is an IBM certified security intelligence analyst, application security analyst and IOT cloud developer. He is also a member of the Global EPIC eco-system centred on innovation and cyber security. He develops responsible Artificial Intelligence for Natural Language Processing with applications in sentiment analysis, recommender systems, log mining, cyber security, and education.

Boyewa Abiodun-Adepoju
Marketing Lead, VC4A

Boyewa Abiodun-Adepoju
Marketing Lead, VC4A
Boye is an adept storyteller, a strategic marketing and comms professional and amateur, photographer with a growing passion for driving impact in the African startup ecosystem.
Throughout the last decade, she has collaborated with numerous startups, crafting and expanding their messages and brands at scale. Her hands-on experience spans across diverse sectors, including the food and beverage industry, financial services, gaming and venture capital.

Chukwuemeka George Eze
Founder/CEO, Revive Earth

Chukwuemeka George Eze
Founder/CEO, Revive Earth
Chukwuemeka George Eze is an electrical engineer with 6 years of experience in electric vehicle research and development, embedded systems programming, CAD circuit design, and manufacturing.
Chukwuemeka is the founder and CEO of Revive Earth LTD, an e-mobility start-up based in Enugu Nigeria, and makes Revive Kit; an e-mobility service used to convert existing petrol-powered vehicles into fully battery electric vehicles. He is a self-acclaimed Tinkerer, and also known as the “Elon Musk of Africa”.

Ibrahim Maigari Ahmadu
Founder/CEO, RiceAfrika Technologies

Ibrahim Maigari Ahmadu
Founder/CEO, RiceAfrika Technologies
Ibrahim Maigari is a lawyer and tech entrepreneur. He started his entrepreneurial journey about two (2) decades ago.
He has co-founded and led technology start-ups that developed many innovative applications for over 15 years. Below are a few;
- Livestock247.com (Nigeria’s 1st Online Livestock Platform)
- PaySabil.com (A FinTech Platform facilitating effortless payment of voluntary charity to faith-based projects and organizations)
He is current the Founder/CEO of RiceAfrika Technologies (www.riceafrika.com), a tech-driven agriculture optimization service provider improving the productivity of smallholder farmers in Africa through its award winning FarmEASY OS (operating system).
RiceAfrika’s FarmEASY OS won the Technology For Humanity Award at the LEAP 2023 Tech Event Rocket Fuel Startup Competition in Riyadh KSA in February 2023.

Dozie Igweilo
Founder, Quadloop

Dozie Igweilo
Founder, Quadloop
Dozie Igweilo is an entrepreneur and innovator passionate about renewable energy, consumer electronics, circular economy, and sustainability with Africa in view.
Founded Quadloop a climate tech company that utilizes electronic waste to build solar lanterns and home systems with a lower environmental impact.
A graduate of Economics in the University of Ibadan Nigeria, he has undergone several entrepreneurial and technical training from the School of Electronics Lagos, General Electric Lagos Garage, Semicolon Africa, Enterprise Development Center of the Lagos business school, Alumni of the Orange corners by Fate Foundation, a 2021 meaningful business member MB100, a fellow at the innovation fellowship for aspiring inventors and researchers I-FAIR.
He has also partaken in global accelerator programs such as The C3 accelerator Dubai, Startup boot camp Netherlands, Orange corners Nigeria and Mass Challenge Israel.
Quadloop flagship product is IDunnu portable lantern made from 70% e-waste material has been recognized both local and international media and has been spot lighted as part of the 10 startups to receive the 2023 NETEXPLO INNOVATION AWARD in France.

Jude Adejuwon
Practice Lead HEI, CcHub

Jude Adejuwon
Practice Lead HEI, CcHub
Jude Feranmi is the Practice Lead of the HEI ((Higher Education Innovation) Innovation Practice at Co-Creation Hub. He is an innovation policy and entrepreneurship expert with 7 years of experience supporting and leading engagements on innovation policies programs and legislation in Nigeria. He has led and contributed to various innovation ecosystem-building activities in Nigeria and the Netherlands.
He possesses a certificate of competence from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA on Policy for Science, Technology and Innovation and a double master's degree in Public Policy with a spécialisation on Innovation from the United Nations University in the Netherlands. Jude is also certified as an expert by the Swiss Institute of Technology in Geneva on Technology Innovation for Sustainable Development. He is an expert contributor to the innovation and the policy process - from agenda setting to monitoring and evaluation at the Federal Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation and the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy.
Jude continues to serve as a resource person to various innovation fora in the country including for the National Information and Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Universal Service Provision Fund, National Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Center, National Institute of Public Policy and Strategic Studies, various technology and innovation communities and so on.

Orok Godspower
CoinEx Nigeria Partner/Country Manager

Orok Godspower
CoinEx Nigeria Partner/Country Manager
Orok Godspower is a blockchain Project Business Development and Marketing consultant, a Digital Assets Investment Coach and a Philanthropist.
He has been in the blockchain and digital Assets Industry since 2018 and has worked for several international and Indigenous blockchain related projects Firms.
Godspower has worked as an advisory to several companies and a tutor of Basic Blockchain knowledge in several institutions.
He has pioneered various Blockchain and Digital Assets adoption initiative in Africa and has the passion to groom young and will minded people to get the best out of life. He is presently the CoinEx Nigeria Partner/Country Manager.

Hakeem Onasanya
Head, Startups (Lagos Innovates) LSETF

Hakeem Onasanya
Head, Startups (Lagos Innovates) LSETF
Hakeem Onasanya heads the Startups (Lagos Innovates) team at the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund. In this role, he leads the curation, execution, and evaluation of interventions that have supported over 150 startups and Innovation-Driven Enterprises in Lagos as well as facilitated the training of more than 215 tech enthusiasts with the desired outcome of exponentially creating jobs and positioning Lagos as the startup capital of Africa and very soon, the world.
Hakeem is an astute manager of human and material resources with over 6 years of experience in the Health sector, Insurance Tech sector, MSME Development, Public Policy and Administration. He was previously the Special Adviser to the Chairperson, Board of Trustees of the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund where he led the execution of a 670 million-naira (USD 700,000) grant support fund in partnership with private sector partners and Non-Governmental-Organizations to support 2,779 small businesses that were affected by the devastating economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. This project saved over 15,000 direct and 75,000 indirect jobs across Lagos state.
Before transitioning into the Public Sector, he completed a Masters of Public Policy Degree from the University of Oxford where he studied as an Africa Initiative for Governance (AIG) Scholar and was also the Vice President of the University of Oxford Africa Society. He is also an alumnus of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
Outside of work, he is an Adjunct Lecturer at the Department of Public Policy and Administration of Miva University. He has served as the Director of Policy & Government Relations as well as Director of Skills Development at the Eko chapter of the foremost Youth group in the world, Junior Chambers International (JCI).

Yakubu Musa
National Coordinator, Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI)

Yakubu Musa
National Coordinator, Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI)
Yakubu Musa is a trained Engineer with a combined work experience of over 14 years in Telecom and IT industries within Nigeria and China. His core competencies span across various fields that include but are not limited to, project management, product development, strategic planning and software quality assurance.
He is a result-driven professional with proven successes in leading and completing product development as well as other IT projects. He is passionate about technology innovation and entrepreneurship.
He has worked on various network optimisation projects for Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) such as Zain (now Airtel) and MTN Nigeria in the Northern and Southern regions of Nigeria. He worked in the Chinese IT industry with different companies as a Software QA Engineer and subsequently a Project Manager.
Yakubu Musa was part of the teams that developed various telematics, navigation, and location authentication solutions for companies such as Fujitsu Ten (F10), Panasonic, Harman and Verizon amongst others. He is committed to working with relevant stakeholders to develop a vibrant tech startup ecosystem in Nigeria. This, he has been doing through managing NITDA’s collaboration, through the ONDI, with ecosystem stakeholders to implement policies, strategic programs, and initiatives aimed at supporting
the growth of innovative startups.

Chukwudi Theodore
Solutions Architect/ Country Digital Acceleration, Cisco Edge

Chukwudi Theodore
Solutions Architect/ Country Digital Acceleration, Cisco Edge

Ada Irikefe
Head of Disruption & Innovation at PwC Nigeria

Ada Irikefe
Head of Disruption & Innovation at PwC Nigeria

Omotayo Hassan
Renewable Explorer, Total Energies

Omotayo Hassan
Renewable Explorer, Total Energies
Omotayo Hassan is a corporate/project finance professional offering 20 years’ experience in leading transactions primarily in the power & utility sector.
He has successfully advised governments and corporations on a range of transactions including mergers & acquisitions, corporate restructurings and the procurement of large-scale power generation projects.
He has led business development, project development and contract negotiations with large scale utilities and private power developers.
Omotayo has extensive experience working for Fortune 500 corporations in the United States and power & utility consulting in Nigeria. Omotayo provided technical, commercial, and financial consulting to the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading PLC under the Power Africa Transactions Reforms Program (PATRP) managed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) since the inception of NBET, he worked at Constellation Energy as Operational Finance Senior Manager, Verizon Communications as a Manager in Corporate Finance, and prior to that as a Specialist in Financial Planning and Analysis.
As an Embedded Power Africa Transaction Advisor for NBET PLC, Omotayo worked directly with Independent Power Producers on their project finance financial models, negotiated commercial terms of the project with IPP’s and worked closely with the regulatory staff on issues related to power procurement and power generation.
He provided support on the development of NBET’s regulatory positions regarding power procurement and maintains an advanced level of knowledge about the electricity supply marketplace in areas that are most relevant to power procurement and power generation.
Omotayo as a USAID Embedded Senior Commercial Transaction Advisor for the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) privatization. Omotayo provided transaction advisory Services to the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), the holding company for the NIPP power plants. NDPHC is mandated to privatize the 10 NIPP power plants, transmission, distribution and gas assets to investors and relevant operators.
Omotayo’s role included advising NDPHC of the optimal structure and implementation process for the privatization and asset transfer. He was responsible for working with NDPHC on the necessary legal, technical and financial due diligence for the transaction.
Furthermore, he assisted in preparing transaction plans and bidding documents, and managed the transactions of 10 gas fired power generation stations with total capacity of 5,000 MW, 4 gas pipeline and flow station projects, and its transmission and distribution assets.
Omotayo was a Director at JCM Power. JCM Power is an independent power producer (IPP) dedicated to accelerating social, economic and environmental sustainability in growth markets through the development, construction and operation of renewable energy facilities. Omotayo was responsible for all JCM Power project development, business development and all JCM operations in Nigeria and West Africa.
Omotayo is currently in charge of renewable power development for TotalEnergies in Nigeria. TotalEnergies has announced its ambition to achieve carbon neutrality across all its activities by 2050, together with society. This climate ambition requires the organization to embark on a decade of transformation and in particular to massively develop the production of electricity from renewable sources.
Omotayo is responsible for initiating and accelerating the development renewable projects in a dedicated country. He is responsible for leading and managing all development activities, including project coordination, construction plans and activities, interaction with internal and external stakeholders, ensure seamless, on-time, and on-budget quality construction.
Hosts/Moderators

Francisca Nwafor
Founder/PM, Coinratecap

Francisca Nwafor
Founder/PM, Coinratecap
Francisca is the Founder/PM of Coinratecap, a dynamic professional skilled in IT, web3, web development, mentorship, and digital marketing. With a passion for technology, she excels at crafting innovative digital solutions and driving results.
As an IT strategist, Francisca harnesses the power of web3 and blockchain technology to redefine trust and deliver decentralized solutions. In web development, she creates visually stunning and functionally robust digital experiences. In digital marketing, she crafts data-driven strategies that boost online visibility and engagement.
Francisca has dedicated to staying at the forefront of tech trends and driving digital transformation. She's a software developer, mentor, and blockchain enthusiast. She's also skilled in research analysis, and has championed many web3 projects.
Her platform, Coinratecap, is committed to providing accurate and comprehensive data analytics services to the cryptocurrency and NFT communities. It also offers a range of features, including coin and NFT listings, advanced charting tools, security scanning for potential vulnerabilities, KYC integration, and a beginner-friendly learning hub. Coinratecap also specializes in web3 development, consultation, and community building. Their dedication to excellence and innovation has enabled them to establish a strong presence in the rapidly evolving blockchain ecosystem.

Emmanuel Onwuka
Award-Winning Broadcast Journalist

Emmanuel Onwuka
Award-Winning Broadcast Journalist
Emmanuel Onwuka is an award-winning broadcast journalist, on-air personality, documentary producer, and writer.
He holds the award for best radio documentary at the Nigeria broadcasting awards 2023. He is a British council and BBC trained journalist and is best known for his apt coverage of news, spontaneous thinking and creative productions.
Emmanuel currently works with Nigeria info FM and heads the diplomatic and tech sections of the newsroom. Emmanuel Onwuka is the brain behind the tech programme, Digital Life, which airs on Nigeria Info stations. He co-anchors with Presenter, Yvonne Okhaifo.

Frances Aborigho
Founder, Sh’Emerge International

Frances Aborigho
Founder, Sh’Emerge International
Frances Aborigho is a renowned Public Speaker, Personal Development Consultant, and Tech Educator. She has dedicated her expertise to aiding women, especially mothers in their transition to the world of Tech and Digital Careers.
Her mission? To empower women to conquer their personal, career, and leadership aspirations. She is the founder of Sh’Emerge International, and organization that is empowering women across Africa.
As the visionary behind Sh’Emerge, a women's support and development community, Frances has championed the cause of growth, transitioning to Tech and working remotely among women especially young mothers across Africa.
Her focus is on nurturing their leadership potential and fostering personal and career development – all while playing an active role in their families' journeys.
Innovation in Action Frances' impact extends even further through her ventures, Aeonsoft Create Digital Solutions and Cr8tivity Unboxed Academy.

Godfrey Elimian
Content Writer/Analyst, Technext

Godfrey Elimian
Content Writer/Analyst, Technext
Godfrey is a finance professional with a strong interest in leadership, personal and corporate finance, and developing human potential. With a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the reputable University of Ibadan, he has extensive knowledge of monetary and fiscal policies.
Being a politically inclined individual, he renders social and political commentaries on political and socio-economic discourses. Over the years, Godfrey has been opportune to serve in various capacities that cut across administration, strategy, people relationships, business development, and life coaching.
Aside from this, Godfrey has nurtured an interest in writing over the years, and he currently is a content writer and analyst for Technext24, a well-recognised tech media firm. He has also authored a book on relationships.
Being a people-oriented person, during his time at the university, Godfrey was the pioneer of a student leadership network that helped youths alike realise their potential and grow their capacities.
Godfrey’s true passion lies in both personal and professional growth. This, combined with his emotional intelligence, fuels his commitment to making a positive impact everywhere he finds himself.

Omotola Dorcas
Founder, Virtual Domain Agency

Omotola Dorcas
Founder, Virtual Domain Agency
Omotola Dorcas is a marketing and business development expert with 9+ years of experience in web3, analytics, cloud computing, consulting, and capacity development.
She is the founder of Virtual Domain Agency, a marketing and business development agency supporting African tech businesses to launch, grow, and scale.
Omotola has a proven track record of business growth and expansion. Her passion lies in supporting the private sector and startups within the business ecosystem through strategy and implementation to achieve their business goals.

Uche L. Imafidon (Lady Ucee)
Principal Consultant, Furnished Life Finishing School

Uche L. Imafidon (Lady Ucee)
Principal Consultant, Furnished Life Finishing School
Uche Lovelyn Imafidon fondly known as Lady Ucee is your trusted guide to embracing authenticity, projecting confidence, and living gracefully. She currently serves as the Executive Director at Furnished Life Resources and Principal Consultant at Furnished Life Finishing School, a prestigious human capital development organization based in Lagos, Nigeria. With a passion for empowering young professionals and individuals, she specializes in three key areas:
- As an Etiquette Consultant,her organization offers comprehensive etiquette training and guidance to help individuals navigate social and professional situations with poise and confidence. From dining etiquette to communication skills, their training and coaching programs equip their clients to leave lasting impressions and forge meaningful connections.
- As a Personal Grooming Coach, Lady Ucee believes that presenting your best self externally enhances your inner confidence. So, she and her team work closely with their clients to refine their appearance, style, and body language, allowing them to radiate their charm while leaving a positive impact and imprint whenever and wherever.
- As a Marriage Relationship Counselor; in matters of the heart, Uche is dedicated to helping singles find personal joy and fulfillment as they prepare to embrace a life of bliss with their significant other in marriage. She also helps couples build strong and fulfilling relationships, providing a safe space for open communication and offering practical advice to nurture love, understanding, and harmony.
Her mentoring hub (The Dignified Tribe) is a haven for aspiring young individuals seeking personal and professional growth. Here, she fosters accountability and guides them on their journey to success. Through mentorship programs and workshops, she instills valuable life skills and helps shape future leaders who are confident, compassionate, and polished influencers.
Ms. Imafidon is a seasoned public speaker, who has had the privilege to share her expertise and life lessons at conferences, seminars, and summits - both online and on-site. Engaging with diverse audiences, she delivers compelling talks on self-identity, self-improvement, self-esteem and confidence building, and relationship management, among others. She is also a voiceover artiste, a compere, and a trained media personality who has worked both as an on-air presenter and producer of a weekly television broadcast (Singles And Married With Chris Ojigbani) on Silverbird Television. She currently serves as a presenter in the online space of her home church, Daystar Christian Centre, in Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos.
As a digital content creator, Uche Imafidon is the proud host of "Refining Moment With Lady Ucee," a weekly broadcast available on YouTube, Spotify, and Substack, where she shares valuable insights, practical tips, and inspiring stories that empower individuals to embrace positive change and live gracefully. Her podcast cuts across to her global audience with heavy listenership in Brazil, Nigeria, USA, Germany, India, Mexico, Tanzania, and others.
With an extensive working experience of over ten (10) years in her field, Uche has been privileged to touch the lives of well over a thousand individuals and couples, guiding them toward a happier, and more fulfilling existence. She is a published author of the book The Polished And Classy You. A Practical Guidebook On How To Become An Irresistibly Elegant Lady And A Dashing Gentleman. And is currently selling on Amazon, Selar, and other e-commerce platforms. Her work has been recognized on various platforms, one of which is her recent interview on Channels Television where she enthusiastically discussed some aspects of her work.
Beyond the secular aspects, Uche is also a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Her teachings revolve around the paramount importance of love – love for God, love for oneself, and love for others. This spiritual aspect of hers, enriches her approach to personal, spiritual, and relationship development, emphasizing the significance of the consciousness of our new life in Christ, the need for the Holy Spirit's guidance in our day-to-day living, compassion, and empathy in every endeavor.
Past Speakers

Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta
Executive Vice Chairman and CEO, NCC

Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta
Executive Vice Chairman and CEO, NCC
Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta is the Executive Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). He is currently serving a second term of five years in office, following the approval of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2020.
Danbatta earned BEng, MSc degrees from the Technical University of Wroclaw in Poland and received his PhD from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology.
The multiple award-winning professor successfully spearheaded the attainment and surpassing of Nigeria’s national broadband target in 2018, and he is currently among those leading the charge for the realization of the new national broadband target of 70% by 2025, after the country achieved and surpassed its earlier national target of 30% penetration in 2018.
Through effective regulatory regime and various cutting-edge initiatives, Danbatta has strengthened the role of telecommunications sector as a major contributor to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, and boosted telecoms investment inflows from $36 billion to over $70 billion since 2015, among others.
Before his appointment to lead NCC in 2015, Danbatta, who is a professor of telecommunications engineering, had worked in academia as lecturer where he supervised more than 60 PhD, MEng and BEng projects in diverse areas of telecommunications, rising to the position of Acting Vice-Chancellor in a Nigerian university.
He was the Vice-President of the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI), an international centre for advanced communications studies established in 2004 by the Commission (NCC) for capacity in diverse areas of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
While at DBI, Danbatta developed expertise in the following major areas of ICT implementation, policy and regulation, including Regulation of the Telecommunications Sector of the Nigerian Economy; Competition, Interconnection and Price Regulations in a Developing Economy; and Issues Concerning Authorization of Telecommunications Services in a Developing Economy.
The other areas of his expertise are Strategies for ensuring Universal Access and Service to Telecommunications Services; Strategies towards Effective Spectrum Management in a Developing Economy; Issues on Institutional and Legal Framework for Effective Regulation of Telecommunications Services; and, New and Emerging Technologies and Impact on Regulation of the Telecommunications Sector of a Developing Economy, among others.
He is a recipient of scores of distinguished awards and certificates of honour both nationally and internationally, including the prestigious Zik Prize in Professional Leadership. His strides in reviving the Emergency Communications Centers (ECCs) and the introduction of harmonized national emergency communication number, 112, helped the NCC to win the International Public Relations Association Golden Award in the year 2021, as the centers played a pivotal role in containing the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria.
Prof. Danbatta has served two terms of five years as a Member of Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN). He is a Fellow of many professional bodies, including the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Nigerian Academy of Engineering (NAEng), Renewable and Alternative Energy Society (RAES) and Nigerian Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (NIEEE).
Fellowships:
> Fellow, Nigeria Academy of Engineering (FAEng);
> Fellow, Nigerian Society of Engineers (FNSE);
> Fellow, Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (FIEEE);
> Fellow, Renewable and Alternative Energy Society of Nigeria (FRAES).
Honorary Degrees:
> D (Honorary Causa), University of Jos
Selected Awards for Danbatta and NCC under his leadership
Professor Danbatta is a recipient of several awards and recognitions both local and internationally.
These include:
> European Award for Best Practices 2016 by an EU Organisation in Brussels, Belgium.
> Quality Achievement Award for Best Practices by European Society for Quality Research (ESQR) 2017
> Exceptional Public Service Performance in the Platinum Category (Bureau of Public Service Reform) Leadership Newspapers Award of Government Agency of the Year
> Chief Executive Officer of the Year (Tell Magazine)
> African Regulator of the Year at the African Information Technology and Telecom Awards (AITTA) in Accra, Ghana.
> Regulator of the Year by African Leadership Magazine in New York, USA.
> Telecoms Personality of the Year - 12th Nigerian Telecoms Award, Lagos
> Telecom Man of the Year 2017--Nigeria Tech Innovation &Telecom Awards (NTITA)
> Telecoms Man of the Year 2018--Nigeria Tech Innovation Telecom Awards (NTITA)
> Lead Presenter- Senior Executive Course (SEC) of the national Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies( NIPS)
> 2016 Nigerian Academy of Engineering Lecture Presenter
> Regulator of the Year by Nigerian Communications Week
> Fellow of Renewal and Alternative Energy Society of Nigeria (RAESON)
> Personality of the Year by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce Industry, Mines and Agriculture
> African Quality Achievement Award 2016 by African Quality Institute
> Human Rights Government Agency of the Year by Constitutional Rights Awareness and Liberty Initiative (CRALI)
> 2017-Beacon of ICT Awards as Telecom Regulator of the Year
> Beacon of ICT Awards: Best Use of Social Media
> Authority Newspaper Exemplary Public Service Award, 2017
> Most Responsive CEO of the Year (Public Service) by House of Representatives Press Corp (2018)
> The Outstanding Leadership in Broadband Penetration (The 2nd Daar Awards for Outstanding Performance & Good Governance) 2018
> Award of excellence in Technological Development & Leadership Heroes (Kano Heroes Awards 2017).
> Pan African Telecomm Regulatory Excellence Nigerian Communications Commission (Africa Digital Heroes Awards (October 2019)
> Government Agency of the Year (Beacon of ICT Awards)
> Telecom Personality of the Year Nigeria Tech Innovation & Telecom Awards (NTITA) September 2019.
> Regulator of the Year Award (NCC) Nigeria Tech Innovation Telecom Awards (NTITA) September, 2019.
> National Public Servant of the Year, 2018 Business Journal Award (September 2019)
> Telecom Personality of the Year ICT Watch Awards (July 2019)
> Regulator of the Year Award ICT Watch Awards (July 2019)
> Award of Excellence by Head of Civil Service of the Federation to NCC (September 2019)
> ITU Telecom World Awards 2019 to NCC for its commitment as a valuable partner (September 2019.
> Most Innovative Federal Regulatory Agency of the Year (NiTA Awards November 2019)
> Goodwill Ambassador Award in security and emergency management (Security and Emergency Management Awards SAEMA 2019.
> Outstanding Accomplishments in Emergency Management (SEMA 2020).
> Man of the Year 2020, Money Report Magazine
Prof Danbatta, an author and philanthropist, is married with children.

Fatumata S. Coker
Founder/Group President Ygroup Holdings Inc.

Fatumata S. Coker
Founder/Group President Ygroup Holdings Inc.
Mrs Fatumata Soukouna Coker has over 20 years of experience working with Fortune 500 companies in the high-tech industry,including extensive global management responsibilities at IBM in the USA, African experience at Microsoft, and Nigerian experience at Soft Solutions Limited, a Nigerian information technology solutions company.
Her specialty in global and emerging markets has enabled her to work with a wide variety of companies in the USA, Africa and the Middle East.
Mrs. Soukouna Coker’s passion for technology is underpinned with about 10yrs with IBM in the USA.
In 1999, she commenced as a Sales Territory Rep in the education industry covering the second-largest school district in the US, quickly moved to Senior roles in IBM Public Sector by her 5th year had not only developed the sales enablement program across sectors, she was managing the sales enablement programs across all sectors with impact.
In 2005 she was invited to join the IBM Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) worldwide team to develop and management the brand’s global go-to-market strategy and rolled out the worldwide go-to-market web strategy and programs across all sectors. Mrs. Soukouna Coker was headhunted from IBM in 2008 on a short-term role with the IFC funded initiative in Ghana.
She shortly joined Microsoft, from March 2008 – September 2010 as Partners Strategy and Programs Lead, Anglophone West Africa and her role quickly expanded to West, Central and East Africa (WECA), based in Lagos Nigeria.
Where her achievements, included the growth of a competitive and loyal Partner Ecosystem across WECA, led channel strategy development, management of the WECA partner communities, whiles enabling long term regional capacity planning and sustainability.
In October 2010, she was appointed Managing Director/CEO of Soft Solutions Limited (SSL). She transformed the SSL brand and people capacity to become one of the leading information technology solutions providers and consultancies in Nigerian.
Mrs. Fatumata Soukouna Coker is the Chairman of Afrinvest West Africa a leading Nigeria based investment bank and recently appointed Chairman Board of Director at CreditRegistry Services, after only serving 2yrs as Chairman of the governance and nomination committee of the board, CreditRegistry Services is a pioneer credit reference agency in Nigeria.
She also participates in start-up forums and IT incubators across the globe, including faith base organizations as well and is a very active member of her communities and is on the National Planning Committee of the Institute of Board of Directors (IoD) Nigeria.
She is co-Founder and Chair at Center for Women & Children Empowerment, Inc. CEWCE is a non-profit,
a non-governmental organization established with the vision to empower vulnerable women and children in post-war society in Liberia.
And the founder of Ygroup Holdings, Inc a West African technology and business Integration Company headquartered in Monrovia, Liberia.
She is passionate and dedicated to the transformation of her African Continent through technology and incredibly committed to all her various communities that she is a part of around the globe.

Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE
Director General, NITDA

Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE
Director General, NITDA
Kashifu Inuwa is a Massachusetts Institute of Technology- MIT Sloan Trained Strategist with over 15 years of experience in IT operations Business and Digital Transformation.
A solution Architect with a proven track record of delivering results in both the public and private sectors. He is one of the first Cisco Certified Internetwork Experts, CCIE, in Nigeria’s public sector.
Inuwa has worked for nine years (2004 – 2013) at Galaxy Backbone and held several positions such as Network Engineer, IP Network Field Engineer, Senior Network & Lead, IP Operations Team, and Senior Solution Architect & Lead, Technical Solution Design.
In 2014, Inuwa joined the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as a Technology Architect where he dedicated his time to developing a Technology Architecture Repository that gives a 360 view of the Bank’s IT Infrastructure and facilitated the ease of decision-making on new IT investment.
He was part of the team that executed software license rationalization that has increased cost savings for the Bank in license annual subscriptions.
In 2016, he was the Technical Assistant to the then Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Prof Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, now the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy.
Inuwa, in August 2019, was appointed Director-General of NITDA and has, since his appointment, shown his doggedness in achieving the Digital Transformation Agenda through his leadership style and dedication to duty.
As DG NITDA, his passion for the Nigerian youth is evident in the number of Hackathons, Startup incubation programmes, participation of Startups at IT Exhibition (local and international), Stem Booth Camp for Kids (SB4KIDS), the National Adopted School for Smart Education (NASSE), National Adopted Village for Smart Agriculture (NAVSA) and many more youth-oriented initiatives championed by the Agency since his assumption of office.
He was a graduate of Computer Science from the prestigious Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi, and a member of both the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) and the British Computer Society (BCS).

Andrew Bourne
Business Development Manager, Africa Zoho Corporation

Andrew Bourne
Business Development Manager, Africa Zoho Corporation
Andrew is Zoho's Business Development Manager for the Africa region and is based in Cape Town, South Africa.
He has more than 15 years of experience in Sales and Marketing and has spent the last 5 years focusing on the implementation and testing of various business technologies.
He is very passionate about Zoho and has exceptional insight into the business and marketing world.
Outside of work, he enjoys hiking, tennis, golf, and wakeboarding.
Fun fact: Andrew used to be a professional athlete and represent South Africa in the sport of wakeboarding.

Prof. Tony Bailetti
Chair of the Board Nigeria-Canada Trade & Investment Group

Prof. Tony Bailetti
Chair of the Board Nigeria-Canada Trade & Investment Group
Professor Tony Bailetti holds a faculty appointment in Carleton University’s Sprott School of Business and the Faculty of Engineering and Design (carleton.ca).
Professor Bailetti is the past Director of Carleton’s Technology Management Innovation (TIM) program (timprogram.ca).
He is the founder of the Scale Early, Rapidly and Securely community (globalgers.org) and the TIM Review (timreview.ca).
He is the Chair of the Board of the Nigeria-Canada Trade and Investment Group (nctig.org). He is the lead for the AI for Local Value, a program designed to accelerate the deployment of AI to create value for companies and cities.
His areas of expertise include: i) Technology entrepreneurship; ii) Scaling companies early, rapidly, and securely; and iii) Cross-border ecommerce.
He has supervised the completion of 130 theses and projects from students in masters’ programs in engineering and business.
In 2019, Professor Bailetti was awarded the 2019 Contribution to Entrepreneurship Award from TiE Ottawa. He was elected Chair of the Board of the Nigeria Canada Investment Summit in 2018. In 2016, Dr. Bailetti won Ontario’s Leadership in Immigrant Employment Award in the Entrepreneur category.
This category acknowledges an immigrant entrepreneur who has contributed to Ontario’s globally connected economy and prosperity by creating jobs and valuing workforce diversity and inclusion. In 2013, he received an In-TAC Award for Connecting New Organizations with International Professionals.
In 2011, he won the Ottawa Innovation Community Award from the Ottawa Centre for Regional Innovation (today’s Invest Ottawa). In 2007, he won a Carleton University Leadership Breakthrough Award and, in 1996, a Carleton University Teaching Award.
Professor Bailetti has published in IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, Research Policy, R&D Management, Technology Innovation Management Review, Journal of Product Innovation Management, Information Technologies and Control, Journal of Innovation Economics, European Journal of Marketing, and the Int. J. Product Development. He has also contributed articles to many conference proceedings.
Professor Bailetti earned a Ph.D. and an MBA from the University of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, where he was a Fulbright Scholar from 1971 to 1975 and an American Iron and Steel Institute Doctoral Fellow from 1975 to 1976.

Harriet Thompson
Deputy High Commissioner, British High Commission

Harriet Thompson
Deputy High Commissioner, British High Commission

Kola Aina
CEO, Emerging Platform

Kola Aina
CEO, Emerging Platform

Levi Novitske
Principal Investment Officer, Singularity Investment Nigeria

Levi Novitske
Principal Investment Officer, Singularity Investment Nigeria

Debo Adedayo - Mr Macaroni
Actor | Content Creator

Debo Adedayo - Mr Macaroni
Actor | Content Creator
Debo Adedayo, popularly known as Mr Macaroni, is a content creator, actor and producer for film and stage. His art and online presence engages a combined audience of 10+ million followers with dramatic themes of satire and social justice.
Debo is a trained thespian and seasoned actor with performance credits on stage, TV and in films such as Tunde Kelani's acclaimed Ayinla. In parallel, his journey of online content creation started in 2019 with the satirical Daddy Wa character that rapidly gained him a following across multiple platforms.
By late 2020, Debo would also become an outspoken ally in the #EndSars and #OccupyLekkiTollGate movements - even after falling victim to police brutality as a result.
In recognition of his creative works and social justice advocacy , Debo was awarded The Future Awards Africa Prize for Content Creation (2020) and the Gatefield's People Newsmaker for Social Justice (2021) award.

Mr. Yves Nicolet
Consul General of Switzerland in Lagos

Mr. Yves Nicolet
Consul General of Switzerland in Lagos

Tosin Faniro-Dada
Head, Startups (Lagos Innovates) Lagos State Employment Trust Fund.

Tosin Faniro-Dada
Head, Startups (Lagos Innovates) Lagos State Employment Trust Fund.

Wim Vanhaverbeke
Professor of Strategy and Innovation Management Neoma Business School Paris, France

Wim Vanhaverbeke
Professor of Strategy and Innovation Management Neoma Business School Paris, France
Explore Highlights of Activities & Programmes at NIS 2023

GET EXPERIENCE
Press Parley & Media Interviews
NIS 2023 will kick-off with a press parley, where media organisations, press partners and reputable journalists will have a roundtable with the event conveners, partner organisations and sponsors for this year’s edition.
Key questions about the event’s objectives will be addressed, and key sponsors will be highlighted during the media parley sessions.
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NiX Talks
Nigeria Innovation Experience Talks (NiXTalks) is a major hallmark of the 2023 summit. This series of highly intense talks will feature truly innovative minds disrupting the
status quo in their various industries and worlds.
NiX Talks speakers will present fresh concepts to the delight of attendees and action of stakeholders. The best talks will present on the main event stage at the
grand finale of the Nigeria Innovation Summit.


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GRAND FINALE: Summit & Invite-Only Dinner
All activities culminates into the D-Day, the NIS Summit which is also the grand event.
The event ends on a high note with a Private cocktail and networking dinner, graced by high-level executives, key celebrities, government delegates, parastatals, high
commissions, decision makers, top investors and stakeholders moving the needle that impact the industry at scale.
The event promises meaningful conversations, friendship formation,deals closure, business exchange, high-value network and more.
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Innovation Tours
This is another major highlight of this year’s event. Key partners, supporting organisations, sponsors, alongside the NIS team will tour highly innovative organisations and experience centers to deepen the conversation and relationship with those bringing true innovation and disruption into the Nigerian innovation ecosystem and by extension the African innovation landscape.

PACKAGES
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REACH US
Get Direction to the Event Hall
Shell Hall, Muson Centre, Lagos Island, Lagos.
Programme and Sponsorship Info
Call: +234-805-140-3056
Email: [email protected]
Attendance is free.
However, only registered delegates gain access. Register now!
Programme and Sponsorship Info
Call: +234-805-140-3056
Email: [email protected]
Muson Centre is nested within the Lagos Island, Lagos.
Kindly explore “Directions” on the map to get there.
Programme and Sponsorship Info
Call: +234-805-140-3056
Email: [email protected]