OUR PAST SPEAKERS

Some Of Our 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

Ifeanyi Ossai

Founder & CEO of CribMD

Ifeanyi Ossai

Founder & CEO of CribMD

Ifeanyi Ossai is the Founder & CEO of CribMD, a doctor house-call and telemedicine company. Using technology, CribMD makes it easy to get care from the comfort and safety of your home, on your schedule.

Ifeanyi Ossai is a global operations leader with multi-site and P&L experience. He has a strong track record of success aligning enterprise functions towards meeting goals, exceeding financial commitments, and establishing customer enthusiasm and relationships.

His expertise includes transforming enterprises through lean techniques and driving a culture of continuous improvement. He is an energetic, team-oriented, visionary leader with strategic planning and implementation skills.

Bruno Woeran

Head Research & Innovation, PMU, Austria

Bruno Woeran

Head Research & Innovation, PMU, Austria

Bruno Woeran is currently Head Research Management & Technology Transfer for www.PMU.ac.at – Paracelsus Private Medical University. Until recently he was EU Affairs and Innovation Networks Manager for www.Merinova.fi OY AB, Finland.

Previously he held positions as Senior Advisor EU- R&D and Open Inno Networks at http://www.lut.fi; Research Grant Officer and Senior Expert Controlling www.IST.ac.at Austria.

In 2010 he served as Senior Consultant ICT at www.eutema.com Technology Management Ltd. in Vienna, on strategic technology development in Europe.

Since 1996, he was Managing Director for DANUBE, the university-industry EU transfer organisation in the Vienna Region on Innovation, VET, RTD (FP3-7).

He is currently enrolled in the PhD Programme at Oulu University Business School, holds an MBA from the University of Nebraska at Omaha (1993) and University of Economics and Business Administration, WU Vienna (1991).

Bruno Woeran is Chair-elect for www.NCURA.edu Int’l Region VIII, IP president for www.TII.org, Europe’s longest standing tech transfer association, Board member Director project development for www.ISPIM.org, co-editor and author of articles on knowledge transfer and expert systems and works intensively on training and certification, innovation and knowledge management issues on regional innovation management tools and intercultural communication and inclusive organization methods.

Mara Santos

CEO and Founder of C02 Diamonds

Mara Santos

CEO and Founder of C02 Diamonds

CEO and Founder of C02 Diamonds; Lisbon, Portugal

Mara Santos is a Portuguese chemical researcher and entrepreneur with experience in scientific research, science and technology management, and education. She was a national finalist and a Summa Cum Climate graduated at ClimateLauchPad 2021, the world's largest cleantech competition created by the EIT Climate-KIC, a leading European Union initiative on climate-related innovation.

CO2 Diamonds is the Winner - Reviewer's Choice of the Cross-border for Local Value program. Mara is one of the thirty women selected for LEADERS, an ongoing competition to support the best women innovators playing a leading role in developing solutions and initiatives addressing manufacturing-related challenges with strong financial, environmental, or societal impact.

Proff. Isaac O. Abereijo

Founder, Edilta

Proff. Isaac O. Abereijo

Founder, Edilta

Professor Isaac Abereijo is a Professor of Entrepreneurship in the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Development Studies (IFEDS) of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife.

He has more than 25 years of teaching and research experience in entrepreneurship and small business development in the same Institute.

Apart from his teaching and research activities, he is also involved in training and consultancy relating to small business development as well as industrial extension service providing in-plant counselling to small enterprises.

Jointly with other staff of the Institute, Prof. Abereijo participated in many consultancy assignments, among these are:

* Restructuring of Cooperative Societies in Osun State, sponsored by Osun State Ministry of Commerce, Cooperatives and Empowerment, Osogbo.

* Promotion of Entrepreneurial/Self Employment Resourcefulness of Graduates of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, sponsored by Carnegie Corporation of New York.

* Blueprint and Plan of Action on Agriculture and Agro-Allied Industrial Development, Micro-Credit, Job Creation, and Social Development, commissioned by United Nations Development Programme/Osun State Sustainable Human Development Fund.

* Project Inventorising based on Mineral and Agricultural Resources available in Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti State, commissioned by Central Bank of Nigeria.

* Professor Abereijo has also attended many local and international conferences and training workshops relating to small business development.

Some of which are:

* ERP4School Foundation Training Workshop on ‘Enterprise Resource Planning (using SAP software)’ and ‘Incubator Manager’ Training Workshop (both in South Africa).

* Brown University International Advanced Research Institute on ‘Technology Entrepreneurship and Management’ and Price-Babson Symposium for Entrepreneurship Educators (both in USA).

* Project Management and Entrepreneurship Development (Antalya, Turkey).

* Cooperative Leadership Enrichment Workshop (Dubai, United Arab Emirate).

* Training Workshop on ‘Innovative Cooperative Investment and Management Strategies’, at Songhai, Port Novo (Republic of Benin).

* Training Workshop on ‘Small Business Counselling (Part I & II)’ organised by Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (Abuja).

* Training of Trainers Workshop on ‘Start-Your-Business’ and Training Workshop on ‘Work Improvement in Small Enterprise’, both sponsored by Nigerian Employers Consultative Association and International Labour Organisation (Lagos).

Professor Abereijo is also one of the radio presenters on business education on Radio Orisun in Ile Ife, as well as business coach, providing counselling and training on business development to prospective and existing entrepreneurs.

Some of the small business development training programmes which he served as resource persons are:

* Vocational Skills Acquisition Programmes for Youths in Osun State, sponsored by United Nations Children Funds.

* Business Packaging and Competence Enhancement Training for Small and Medium Enterprises Operators, sponsored by Central Bank of Nigeria.

* Training workshop for the beneficiaries of the micro credit of United Nations Development Programme/Osun State Sustainable Human Development Fund, sponsored by Osun State Government.

* A 2-day intensive capacity building workshop on Rural Entrepreneurial Development, organised by DELPHE PROJECT 643 (African Women and Rural Environment) in collaboration with British Council and Department of International Development.

* Pre and post Ife Youth Economic Summit on Business Development Training Workshop for Ife Youth, sponsored by His Royal Majesty, Ooni of Ife and the Bank of Industry.

Kyane Kassiri

Investment Associate at Loftyinc Capital Management

Kyane Kassiri

Investment Associate at Loftyinc Capital Management

Olamidun Majekodunmi

Nexford University Country Director

Olamidun Majekodunmi

Nexford University Country Director

Olamidun Majekodunmi is a serial entrepreneur and business manager with international experience in strategy and operations, education management and managing scalable startups.

Olamidun built her first start-up at the age of 21- The Performing Arts School of Nigeria, with the purpose of providing students with unique opportunities and a well-rounded education.

In her bid to develop an untapped market, Olamidun succeeded in implementing key strategic initiatives and formed major partnerships with some of the largest public and private sector organizations in Nigeria.

Driven by her strong passion for wide development across Africa, Olamidun also served as a Director of Education for the Nigerian Young Professionals Forum where she led the architecture of a nationwide Education Intervention Scheme.

Olamidun completed her MBA at The University of Notre Dame where she was a Forte Foundation Fellow, an executive member of the ND MBA Consulting Club, and the National Association of Women MBAs.

Subsequently, Olamidun joined Huron Consulting Group, New York, as a Strategy and Operations Consultant where she applied data-driven solutions to support major American Universities undergoing operational optimizations such as change management, financial sustainability and organizational restructuring.

Olamidun is currently employing her unique international experience to innovative solutions in Africa. In 2018, she entered the quick-service restaurant industry by founding Sooyah Bistro in Lagos, Nigeria which has since grown to 7 branches across Lagos metropolitan and serving thousands of customers weekly.

Olamidun presently serves as the Country Director of Nexford University, a next-generation American university that enables greater socioeconomic mobility across the world. Olamidun’s mission for Nexford in Africa is to connect learners with high-quality, dynamic and affordable learning that prepares them for today’s workplace.

Abinoro Akporode Collins

Sculptor

Abinoro Akporode Collins

Sculptor

ABINORO AKPORODE COLLINS Born in 1984 Delta state, Nigeria. The prestigious international artist based in Lagos Nigeria.

Hold a Higher National diploma in sculpture from the school of art and design Auchi Polytechnic Edo State Nigeria.

He is a multi dimensional artist with huge interest in both recycling and repurposed materials as visible in his highly experimental yet classical, conceptual, contemporary and in recent times surrealistic works.

Highly known for the use of cutleries in creating life size sculptures of varied tactile and detailed impressions. He has over the years explored the materials and established it as not just a material that can be an 'extra' or support material l but a definite medium in sculpture.

His approach are a meticulous fabrication that involve free-flow construction of his works without visible amateur or support, some with and others what he describe as through the use of pre cast approach.

His take on art as not just a skill, but a sure means of communication is expressed in his depth of concept that explores human experiences, the concept of power and dominance, the idea of racial identity, the place of culture and society in documenting human history, his exploration of man as a spiritual entity and metaphysical content are prominent in his works in the past years.

He is a member of the sculpture association of Nigeria.

Abinoro has exhibited in Nigeria and his works are rising highly in global art collection.

Deepankar Rustagi

Founder, Omnibiz Africa

Deepankar Rustagi

Founder, Omnibiz Africa

Deepankar is the founder of Omnibiz Africa (Mplify Limited). He is a well-experienced Business Planning professional with a degree in Business Innovation & Growth from Stanford University Graduate School of Business (Stanford SEED -Institute for Innovation in Developing Economies). He has served in different capacities including as a zonal marketing manager at Dufil and as National Sales Manager at Lucky Fibres Plc.

In March 2010, Deepankar founded VConnect, an SME tech company, that focused on the way businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa acquired and engaged with customers. The platform enabled 800K+ users to search for and connect with service businesses to access reliable and affordable services.

Recognizing the need to digitize the supply chain in Africa, Deepankar founded Omnibiz Africa, a B2B essential goods e-commerce platform that digitally unifies the supply chain in Africa. He also launched Mplify, a Sales Force Automation application that offers businesses the ability to track and optimize their sales force activity, sales data, and information.

Deepankar possesses a strong motivational management style with a proven history of building and retaining high-performance teams to develop and implement growth strategies.

Over the last 16 years, Deepankar has demonstrated an ability to instill a common vision and develop a dynamic team based on trust and mutual respect.

Otto Orondaam

Founder Slum2school Africa

Otto Orondaam

Founder Slum2school Africa

Orondaam Otto is a social entrepreneur, development consultant, and community organizer with over 15 years’ experience working with thousands of young people across the private and public sectors.

He is passionate about improving education and human capital development policies while promoting reform-based leadership to eliminate socio-economic inequalities, achieve sustainable and equitable economic growth.

In 2012, he founded Slum2School Africa to reach underserved out-of-school-children in slums and hard-to-reach communities, creating a solution to the deplorable state of education across Nigeria/Africa. Slum2School has grown to become one of Africa’s leading volunteer-driven developmental organizations.

In the past 8 years, directing the affairs of Slum2School Africa, he has worked with over 10,000 volunteers across 35 countries providing educational scholarships and various development support to over 107,450 children from 42 communities in Nigeria.

He has built various early childhood development centers, adopted public schools, built e-libraries, health centers, STEM, and Innovation labs which are serving thousands of children.

In 2020, when most underserved children were significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, Otto and his team created the first Virtual Learning Studio/classroom in Nigeria/Africa.

The Virtual Learning Studio has seen to the onboarding of 1,050 children living in underserved communities who are continuously learning amidst the global shutdown of schools.

In 2020, his goal is to onboard 10,000 children with the help of his dedicated team and partners.

Otto’s vision is to see that every child and youth, irrespective of their color, origin, gender, and physical or mental ability, is given an equal opportunity and the best chance to quality education.

This would enable them to maximize their potentials and contribute positively to the reformation of the policies that ensure the growth, development, and sustainability of the African continent.

Ayodeji Balogun

Chief Executive Officer, AFEX

Ayodeji Balogun

Chief Executive Officer, AFEX

Ayodeji Balogun is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of AFEX, where he is leading a team of experts leveraging technology, innovative finance, and inclusive agriculture to connect agriSMEs and smallholder farmers to commodity and financial markets.

He holds an MBA from Lagos Business School; Global CEO – Africa from IESE Business School and a certificate in Creative Leadership from the THNK School of Creative Leadership. Ayodeji has almost twenty years’ experience trading across West Africa as well as in building and scaling businesses across Sub-Saharan Africa.

He serves on several capital market boards and works with several institutions on food security and financing agriculture.

Ayodeji began his stint at AFEX by developing the company’s new market entry strategy in East and West Africa. He then resumed as the Country Manager for AFEX Commodities

Exchange Limited in Nigeria, and the Business Lead for Africa Exchange Holdings Limited in West Africa. In both roles, he pioneered the development of a private sector-led commodities exchange and warehouse receipt system, and doubled as the Product Development Manager, leading value chain development in the agriculture Sector, and designing physical and derivative contracts for commodities across markets in Africa.

His interest in commodity trading was stoked early when he began learning about trade in the family business. His first solo run as an entrepreneur was at the age of thirteen when he had to consummate a transaction worth USD 4,000 (at today’s value), and he grew to manage the family-owned commodities trading business, with a turnover of over USD15 million, before joining the MBA program at Lagos Business School. He also founded a haulage business, was part of a mobile service start-up, and part-owned an agribusiness venture.

Ruth Iselema

Founder & CEO, Bitmama Inc.

Ruth Iselema

Founder & CEO, Bitmama Inc.

Kenneth Okolie

CEO, SYNLAB Nigeria

Kenneth Okolie

CEO, SYNLAB Nigeria

Kenneth Okolie is an experienced business leader in the healthcare sector with a demonstrated background in diagnostic services.

His skillset in Business Process Design, Healthcare Management,Critical Thinking & Strategy, Quality Management, and Change Management has accelerated his career.

He is currently leading a team of 300+ people as the Chief Executive Officer of SYNLAB Nigeria, the industry leader in laboratory services in West Africa.

Prior to his current role he was the Chief Operating Officer for Afriglobal Medicare, another key diagnostic services provider in Nigeria.

Kenneth completed his executive management training at INSEAD Business School in Business Administration and Management,Strategy, and Finance.

Dr. Yele Okeremi

CEO, Precise Financial Systems Ltd

Dr. Yele Okeremi

CEO, Precise Financial Systems Ltd

Yele Okeremi is the founding and incumbent Chief Executive Officer of Precise Financial Systems Ltd. A company he co-founded with a capital of less than $60 in 1994. He is an Adjunct Professor of Business Strategy at the Nobel International Business School Accra, Ghana.

Okeremi holds a Doctor of Business Administration degree from the Swiss Business School, Zurich, Switzerland having previously obtained a Master of Applied Business Research from the same institution.

He also has a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science (With Economics) from the Obafemi Awolowo University and a Masters in Business Administration. He is an alumnus of the Wits Business School, Johannesburg South Africa and Harvard Business School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA where he completed the Owner President Management Program.

He is also an alumnus of INSEAD Fontainebleau, France where he completed the International Directors Program and obtained the Certificate in Corporate Governance.

Prior to PFS, he had a successful professional career at Inlaks Computers before he proceeded to Industrial Bank Limited (Merchant Bankers) as a Programmer/Analyst. He was the Chief Information Officer of Industrial Bank as at the time he left for Ventura Savings and Loans Limited as the Head, Systems and Logistics department. He held this position until 1994 when he co-founded PFS with Philip Ayeni, a Chartered Accountant.

As a leading icon in software development in Nigeria, Okeremi is a member of the Presidential Initiative for developing the software industry in Nigeria and has previously served on the board of the Nigeria Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA). He is the President of the Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON) having previously served as Second and First Vice President and Chairman Legal and Legislative Committee of the Institute.

As a technology startup advocate supporting the promotion and funding of indigenous entrepreneurs, twice, he served as the chairman of the Local Organizing Committee [LOC] for Demo Africa in 2014 and 2015. Demo Africa is an initiative of the United States Department of State and Lions@frica to promote innovation in the technology field globally and connecting startup companies with investors.

Dr. Okeremi has a passion for the development of intellectual capital of the black race and continues to advocate his position that irrespective of the conditions of the black man, the black man is by no means inferior in intelligence to anyone else in the world.

Chibuike Goodnews

CEO, Dochase Adx

Chibuike Goodnews

CEO, Dochase Adx

Chibuike is the CEO of Dochase Adx and Founder of Scrola App.

Dochase Adx Limited, a tech company that powers data and internet advertising businesses in Africa.
The technology provides data, programmatic advertising technology that connects businesses and brands to millions of target customers on mobile and desktop internet.

This helps businesses to attract new customers, boost online sales and brand awareness. He has MBA and Bsc in Business administration from Ahmadu Bello University with specialisation in Finance, technology and corporate strategy.

He also has a certification in Java programming technology from prestigious NIIT. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Administration (CIA) Nigeria.
Alumni of Enterprise Development Centre of the Lagos Business School, Lagos.

Before moving to Adtech, Chibuike worked with Zenith bank and UBA where he performed banking operations, relationship management and product development.

He facilitated a number of products in the banks including Agricultural financing, warehouse receipt financing and corporate lending.

He worked with the team to deploy the first private commodities exchange in Nigeria, AFEX. He is a regular speaker in DMEXCO(Digital marketing and Exhibition) Germany.

He is a member of Cascador 2020, Africa changemakers group, Digital Africa summit group and many more.

Lanre Ogungbe

CEO, IdentityPass

Lanre Ogungbe

CEO, IdentityPass

Lanre Ogungbe is identitypass's cofounder and CEO. He formerly served as the head of business and services for Accounteer (a smart cloud accounting solution for SMEs), where he played a critical role in growing the firm from less than 3000 to over 38,000 customers. He has previously worked in the social development sector and with other technological start-ups.

He earned a bachelor's degree in computer science and education and a postgraduate diploma in strategic management and leadership from the London School of International Business.

He is presently enrolled at Johns Hopkins University as an MBA student. He is also a member of the National Assembly's Business Environment Roundtable, which works in the EBusiness and Intellectual Property committees, providing him with an opportunity to contribute more to national development.

Favour Chisimdi

Founder, Empress Linguistics Services

Favour Chisimdi

Founder, Empress Linguistics Services

Favour Chisimdi Emerald Nwobodo is a Famous Nigerian Polyglot with over 5 years of experience in raising bilingual Nigerians.

Favour Chisimdi Emerald, is the Founder of Empress Linguistics Services, a linguistics service that rose from serving linguistics needs like translations, tanscription and all to proferring solutions in various sectors of the world with Linguistics.

Favour Chisimdi Emerald popularly known as Empress Chisimdi is one of the pioneers of Linguistics in Business. She is one of the Africans proferring solutions in the business sectors (with Linguistics) with case studies, researches, and actions.

Some of her research works includes:

* Linguistics in Business System

* Linguistics strengthening Finances with International trade

* Could Linguistics revive NAIRA?

and many more which are submitted to Harvard Business Review.

Favour Chisimdi is not left behind in the health sector as she is also working hard in proferring solutions there with research.

Some of her articles here include:

* Linguistics in Psychology (How Linguistics helps the brain in functioning).

* Linguistics + Azure, the future of the health sector.

Favour Chisimdi Emerald is doing a great job in various sectors of the world which earned her the nickname " An African with solutions"
She's also ranked on google as one of the most influential persons on LinkedIn.

Favour Chisimdi Emerald Nwobodo is also the Founder of Save African Children Initiative, an initiative aimed at proferring helping and empowering the less privileged youths in Africa with skills they can earn from thereby curbing poverty rates to the barest minimum.

In her voice " the change in Africa starts with me".

Folake Owodunni

CEO & Co-Founder, Emergency Response Africa

Folake Owodunni

CEO & Co-Founder, Emergency Response Africa

Folake Owodunni is the co-founder and CEO of Emergency Response Africa (ERA), a health tech startup that is changing the way medical emergencies are managed in Africa. ERA is building the largest network of First Responders, emergency vehicles, and hospitals, and connecting people in urgent need to help using technology.

Folake has a Master's in Global Health & Development from University College London, and a Master’s in Business Entrepreneurship & Technology (MBET) from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. She has over 12 years of experience working in healthcare, marketing communications, and management consulting, with companies in Nigeria, the United States, and Canada.

She is certified as a First Responder with the Canadian Red Cross and is passionate about Africa's rising tech ecosystem and making fast, reliable emergency medical care accessible to all Africans using technology.

Remi Dada

CEO, Spacefinish

Remi Dada

CEO, Spacefinish

Remi Dada is the founder and CEO of Spacefinish. Before starting Spacefinish, Remi worked at Google as a Product Marketing Lead for Sub-Saharan Africa.

In his time there, he had the opportunity to work in some of the best-designed offices across Africa, Europe, Asia, North America, and the Middle East.

While working at Google Nigeria, he took on an opportunity that presented itself: redesigning the Google office space during his 20 percent time dedicated to his passion-related project.

Remi realized this presented a unique opportunity in the Nigerian and African landscape by creating functional and sustainable spaces that would foster people productivity, efficiency, and business profit.

This led to Spacefinish, a company with the vision to design and create a better world for humans to live and work in.

With 5 years in operation, the team has executed over 31 projects some of which is; Lagos International Airport, PWc, Facebook, and the UnionBank SpaceNXT.

Spacefinish has become a name associated with delivering future of work solutions that help businesses adjust to the new ways of work.

Abimbola Adebakin

Founder/CEO, Advantage Health Africa

Abimbola Adebakin

Founder/CEO, Advantage Health Africa

Abimbola Adebakin is a Certified Performance Technologist (CPT), a Pharmacist,management consultant and tech innovator who is keen to drive performance improvement in the African Healthcare system.

She is the Founder/CEO of Advantage Health Africa powering myMedicines, myPharmacy, myLabs, myAdvantage as well as a pharmaceutical sales & marketing distribution venture, Advantage Pharma.

She previously led operations as COO of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, was a consultant at Financial Institutions Training Centre (FITC) and at Accenture. She has consulted for the World Bank, AAIN, AfDB IFC (Master Trainer corporate governance for Bank Directors) and facilitates for Institute of Directors (IoD) and FITC.

She serves on the board of Hallmark HMO as an independent director, Trustee of the Safe Medicines Foundation and is an alumnus of the African Women Entrepreneurship Cooperative (AWEC), Cascador as well as the Joseph Business School (JBS) Nigeria where she emerged the Valedictorian of the pioneer set in 2021.

She is a winner, Bayer Foundation Women Empowerment Award (2021) and recipient of the Google Black Founders Fund (2021), winner of the popular vote for yNaija Person of the Year (2021) as well as the JBS Global Entreprenuer of the year (2022).

Mark Slade

Co-Founder, LCNL / Jara Beach Resort

Mark Slade

Co-Founder, LCNL / Jara Beach Resort

Mark Slade is the co-founder and creator of Little Company Nigeria Limited. A family-run hospitality and property group with big ambitions.

Focused on the very best hospitality experience, Mark and his wife Millie co-founded Jara Beach Resort in 2019, inspired only by providing unforgettable experiences along Lagos' beautiful coastline.

Mark has extensive general management and operational success in Nigeria and across Sub Saharan Africa in media, marketing and property development.

Mark was born in the southwest of England and has called Lagos home since 2008, with Millie and their two children.

Frances Aborigho

Founder, Sh’Emerge

Frances Aborigho

Founder, Sh’Emerge

Frances Aborigho is a Visual designer and storyteller, Ux/Ui designer, a brand and performance consultant helping startups communicate their stories through creative visuals, mobile and web applications design.

She is the creative director of Aeonsoft Create Digital, Cr8tivity Unboxed Academy and founder, Sh’Emerge.

Her work has actively centered in helping small and medium scale businesses reach prospective clients through creative communicative designs and helping people fully express their natural creative skills through training till Sh’Emerge became her passion.

Back in 2018, she founded Sh’Emerge in response to the dreams of working age women who had lost most of their career privileges due to marriage, childbirth, relocation and many more. All they wanted being to revive their skills, live financially free and still be available to raise their young families.

What started out as a small community of women in Lagos, Nigeria stretched into the public and beyond the nation of its birth.

Frances is very passionate at helping mums just like her find financial freedom by switching to the industry through non-coding tech career and skills.

With Sh’Emerge, Frances has had the privilege to successfully train about 1000 wonderful women and undergraduate girls through online and physical training events, counselling etc.

Uzor Ugoala

Artist

Uzor Ugoala

Artist

Uzor Ugoala is a Nigerian artist who creates visually stimulating and introspective work in photography that explores the human experience, navigating the path of self-discovery, understanding purpose fundamental to our existence and the collective search for meaning.

Through his imagery, he attempts to provoke thought in the viewer by employing deliberately composed visual elements that may comprise of hand-fabricated props together with a generalized aesthetic of muted colours that whisper ‘pause and reflect’.

He views conceptual photography as a curious means of soul-searching and draws a rich blend of inspiration from downtempo trance music, natural landscape, surreal paintings, introspection, real life experiences and psychology literature.

In June 2022, he was among the selected artists for the inaugural Guest Artists
Space Fellowship residency award supported by the Yinka Shonibare Foundation.

His work has been featured on various platforms like Art Africa, Gallery At The
Landmark, Fine Art Photography Awards and Art Twenty One.

Greene Apaokagi Maryam (Taaooma)

Comedian & Content Creator

Greene Apaokagi Maryam (Taaooma)

Comedian & Content Creator

Greene Apaokagi Maryam popularly know as Taaooma is a well-known comedian, Content Creator, Writer, Director, Producer, Cinematographer, and Lifestyle & Travel Enthusiast.

She is a graduate of Tourism, hospitality and event Management. She takes great pride in her ability to capture the Nigerian experience into fun comedic and relatable experiences for all and has built a strong, loyal and engaging audience that loves her content and are constantly craving new updates on her content and lifestyle.

Akoh Ochai

Head of Channels, Digital and Innovation at Union Bank Nigeria

Akoh Ochai

Head of Channels, Digital and Innovation at Union Bank Nigeria

Akoh Ochai is an electronic payment systems specialist with 17+ years of experience in technical and business roles across a range of digital banking channels including Mobile, USSD, Agent Banking, and Remittances

He is currently Head of Channels, Digital, and Innovation at Union Bank Nigeria where he leads the Bank’s e-Business function as well as its Digital & Innovation practice with a focus on digital transformation and partnerships.

In addition to this, he leads the implementation of the Bank’s robust Open Banking infrastructure to drive partnerships for efficiency and growth.

His previous electronic banking experience spans across three other banks in Nigeria as well as Valucard Plc. (Now Unified Payments).

He is an Alumni of University of South Wales and holds a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science from Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria.

He has undergone several Digital and IT certifications and has trained extensively both locally and internationally.

Ayowole Ayodele

Chief Executive Officer, Fincra

Ayowole Ayodele

Chief Executive Officer, Fincra

Wole leads a world-class team at Fincra that provides online and offline payment infrastructure to fintechs, platforms, corporations, and global businesses operating across Africa.

He is passionate about developing a better global payment system for today's digital world, and he is convinced that Africa has enormous potential to become the new frontier of this financial opportunity.

He has a growing career spanning beyond 7 years. Prior to Fincra, he co-founded Quidax, one of Africa's largest cryptocurrency exchanges where he led the Product, Business, Treasury & Customer Success teams.

Over the years, he has recognised the difficulties businesses face with sending and receiving payments across Africa, and he is committed to lowering the barriers and solving the challenges. He is passionate about Fintech, Crypto Spaces, and Football.

Oluchi Enebeli

Blockchain Engineer

Oluchi Enebeli

Blockchain Engineer

Oluchi Enebeli is Nigeria's 1st female Blockchain Engineer, with a Bs.c in Applied Mathematics, but currently working across multiple fields in the Blockchain space, her work cuts across Engineering, Product, and Management.

She’s now a Master’s candidate at the University of Nicosia studying Blockchain and Digital currency.

She's the founder of Web3Ladies (https://web3ladies.com/) a community empowering the next generation of blockchain industry female leaders who will build, nurture and develop a sustainable web3 space in Africa and beyond.

With past and current experiences across companies such as Liquality, Crypto.com, Nestcoin,Binance, Bundle Africa, Sterling Bank.

Oluchi Enebeli is honored with the Women in Web3 Changemakers Award for her work as a thought leader in the Web3 space.

She has been featured across platforms like TechCabal, Techpoint Africa, and A New Touch Of Africa amongst many others.

She was a facilitator at the African Binance SmartChain masterclass that enrolled over 10,000 Africans for the Blockchain development track.

Ebovi Wali

Managing Partner, Thrive Africa Community

Ebovi Wali

Managing Partner, Thrive Africa Community

Ebovi Wali is the Managing Partner of Thrive Africa Community, an angel investing of African Gen Z and late millennials home and abroad, united by a mission to financially back African startups while investing corporate expertise into its portfolio companies, across diverse areas of business needs.

Ebovi also doubles as the CEO and Co-founder of Kacha Labs, a digital economy financial products builder. Prior to this, Ebovi served as the Chief Growth Officer of Bitmama Exchange, the leading pan-African crypto payments exchange.

Ebovi was also CEO of Changera App, a fintech subsidiary of Bitmama.

Ebovi also had a diverse early career spanning 3 years across global investment banking & advisory, financial and economic research and built vast global networks which have bolstered his sojourn across tech, crypto & web 3, and venture capital.

Ojo Abayomi

Lead Growth and Strategy Consultant, WhirlSpot Media

Ojo Abayomi

Lead Growth and Strategy Consultant, WhirlSpot Media

Abayomi Ojo is the Lead Growth and Strategy Consultant of WhirlSpot Media, a Pan-African PR Agency.

With over ten years of Senior Marketing experience, Abayomi has held growth positions and consultant roles for the likes of WhirlSpot Media, AZA Finance, SHAREit Group, WorkPay and other high-growth SaaS companies, creating winning go-to-market strategies. With a background in digital and content marketing, his career expands over several industries

including Finance, HR, Technology, Media, and Advertising. His experience includes market entry design, public relations campaigns, marketing strategy and planning, demand and generation, sales and marketing alignment, and digital strategy.

He is passionate about helping brands learn the best marketing strategies they need to succeed in the African market.

Abayomi earned his MA from the University of Lagos, and he’s spoken at Social Media Week, served as a Judge in 2022 The Care Awards by act-responsible, and has featured on diverse projects.

Elvis Boniface

CEO, Edugist

Elvis Boniface

CEO, Edugist

Elvis Boniface is an Education Evangelist; an inquirer, learner and Educator passionate about changing the education narrative in Africa because he believes education is a goldmine that never runs out of gold. Learning is his lifestyle, credo and religion.

He is Chief Education Officer of Edugist, a social enterprise that drives reform, technology and innovation in education in Africa with operations in Nigeria, Rwanda and the United Kingdom. He works at the intersection of education and technology using the media as an overarching and veritable tool to change the education narrative.

He is the CEO of the Nigerian Student Venture Prize, the first and only student venture prize in Nigeria that identifies the talent and technology of tomorrow and empower them to take their ideas to the next level.

He is the Executive Producer & Host of The Education Dialogue, a radio program that amplifies strong conversation aimed at improving education in Nigeria because he believes education is the pivot of Africa’s development.

Elvis has presented several papers on technology integration in education and education-focused corporate social responsibility – two areas he has done some ground-breaking projects and is a frequent speaker, conference/panel moderator, television commentator and presenter at conferences and symposiums across Africa.

Elvis is a fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants of Nigeria and an accredited member of the international council of management consulting institutes as well as a volunteer, Education Thematic Group of Nigeria’s think-tank, Nigeria Economic Summit Group.

Elvis has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Education from the University of Lagos, Nigeria and is currently a postgraduate student in the MA Education and Technology programme at University College London’s Institute of Education. with a research focus on how to improve education access and quality in Africa using technology.

Victoria Fabunmi

Head, Investment Management, CcHUB

Victoria Fabunmi

Head, Investment Management, CcHUB

Victoria Fabunmi is a finance professional with experience in investment banking and private equity primarily in FMCG, financial services, agriculture and technology.

Victoria manages all aspects of CcHUB’s investment engagement. Leading the team, she has facilitated CcHUB’s investment in innovative startups across education, health, fintech, digital security and consumer technology across Africa.

Victoria’s professional experience spans buy and sell side advisory, private equity and principal investments. Working with a leading boutique investment banking firm, Victoria garnered transaction experience working within a team responsible for executing Advisory, Fundraising, Equity and Debt Restructuring Mandates across various industries.

Peter Oluka

Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, TechEconomy.ng

Peter Oluka

Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, TechEconomy.ng

Peter Oluka is a practicing ICT Journalist; Speech Writer, amongst other

Communications interests.

Currently, he is the:

Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, TechEconomy.ng;
Principal Partner, OPI-Media Networks Ltd., a budding digital marketing outfit for SMBs;
Co-Founder, GrassRoots Global Concepts Limited, publishers of GrassRoots.ng.
Co-founder, Njalo Technologies Limited, owners of Njalo.ng marketplace.

Prior to his ventures in TechEconomy.ng, he was the ICT Correspondent, nigeriacommunicationsweek.com.ng, Peter’s quest for journalism is exceptional.

He is also a Facilitator as Business Education Examinations Council (BEEC); training the staff of NNPC, DPR, NPA, CBN, etc., on New Media.

Peter started his mainstream (print) journalism in 2010 with the Nigerian NewsDirect Newspaper based in Ogun State. His penchant interest and feats registered NewsDirect’s presence in the league of Property & Environment and Labour pious media outfits.

In 2011, he joined Nigeria CommunicationsWeek, as a Senior Reporter; a medium with fad in ICT reportage. Peter’s articles have attracted interests from both international and indigenous ICT/Technology giants. Peter was a Nigeria Youth Merit Award (NYMA) nominee 2013, which was viewed by many in the industry as a leap in the right direction and a notch to punch and gun for more glories in the industry he represents.

He is an Associate Member of the Institute of Information Management (IIM Africa) and was awarded the Records and Information Management

Best ICT Reporter of the Year by the Institute of Information Management-Africa (IIMAfrica) in year 2014 with many laurels in his name.

Peter has been a .NG (Dot NG) domain name Brand Ambassador (since 2015).

Peter is a certified Customer Relations Management Personnel by the Nesburg School of Business and Management (NESBG), Africa's foremost Persuasion School of Business based in South Africa (2015), among other professional memberships.

He obtained PGD (Mass Communications) from NOUN in 2015; HND (Mass Communication) from the Institute of Management and Technology, IMT, Enugu in 2008.

He is an alumnus of the School of Media and Communications (SMC) Pan Atlantic University (PAU) (since 2016).

He is currently a Masters Degree (Journalism) candidate at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).

Peter has attended several trainings including MTN Media Innovation Programme (MTN-MIP), Google ‘Multimedia, Mobile and Social Media Journalism Programme and Advanced Media trainings.

Lanre Ogundipe

Founder, Imperial EdTech

Lanre Ogundipe

Founder, Imperial EdTech

Lanre Ogundipe is the Founder of Imperial EdTech (Formerly known as Imperial Educational services) an Education, Technology, and research firm founded in 2010.

He is a huge advocate for “Leveraging Technology in Education” and driving a mission to bridge the digital divide in the access, delivery, and distribution of learning.

Mr. Ogundipe is a technology enthusiast/ entrepreneur who has championed various initiatives aimed at driving Workforce Learning & development, STEAM education, skill acquisition, employability, and Industrialization.

He is the Co-founder of Pave. An International Education ecosystem that helps students search and apply for courses, internships, exchange programs, scholarships, and career opportunities around the world.

He is the managing Partner and Board member of the Global Air Drone Academy - A Drone training and development academy that uses drones for STEAM education and teaches adults and youth about drone development and safety flight regulations.

He also sits on the Nucleus team of STEAM UP Lagos - An initiative set up by the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu to drive STEM/STEAM education in Lagos State under the auspices of the Senior special assistant to the Governor on STEM Education.

Seeing the growing decline in local manufacturing, the low quality of locally developed hardware technology and the lack of adequate skills in that space, he started Revrica (REV - which means to Accelerate, and RICA - Taken from the word Africa) an OEM licensed company set up to assemble Educational learning devices such as laptops, tablets, smartphones etc for Primary, secondary, HigherEd, Future of work and lifelong learning.

Olanrewaju is a graduate of Computer Systems and Engineering from the Kharkiv University of Radio Electronics, where he also picked up prowess in Russian language, and holds several professional certificates in Business development and strategy, Innovation for Economic development, Social impact and design thinking.

His passion and dedication has also led him to be a part of several social Investment Initiatives with the Federal and State government of Nigeria and has conducted several employability and development trainings for multinational organizations.

He has established successful business franchises in USA and UK and he continues to pave the way for young Africans as an advocate for change and Nation building.

Our Past Hosts and Moderators

Nwanne Nwonwu

Business Consultant

Nwanne Nwonwu

Business Consultant

Nwanne is a business architect who is on a mission to build a desired future Africa through her work within the tech startup ecosystem.

A business consultant with primary focus on venture building, strategy, corporate innovation and incubation/acceleration of startups.

Trained as a Sociologist, she has a unique experience in business development, community building, change management, project management, communications and partnerships.

She currently serves as a startup mentor on various platforms such as the African Entrepreneurship Award and FoundHER (an initiative of Plug and Play Tech Center, California, USA).

Yomi Kazeem

Senior Consultant, Salient Advisory

Yomi Kazeem

Senior Consultant, Salient Advisory

Olamidun Majekodunmi is a serial entrepreneur and business manager with international experience in strategy and operations, education management and managing scalable startups.

Olamidun built her first start-up at the age of 21- The Performing Arts School of Nigeria, with the purpose of providing students with unique opportunities and a well-rounded education.

Olamidun completed her MBA at The University of Notre Dame where she was a Forte Foundation Fellow, an executive member of the ND MBA Consulting Club, and the National Association of Women MBAs.

Francisca Olisa Nwafor

Founder/CEO Coinratecap

Francisca Olisa Nwafor

Founder/CEO Coinratecap

Francisca is the Founder/CEO Coinratecap . She's a software developer, mentor, and blockchain enthusiast.

Coinratecap is a top coin listing/NFT listing and promotion site, advanced security coin scanning provider (Honeypot), and charting tool.

Franklyn Nnamdi Ikemefune

Content Creator & Recording Artiste

Franklyn Nnamdi Ikemefune

Content Creator & Recording Artiste

Frank fondly known as Vader the Wildcard or Samo Agbero has worked in various capacities in the entertainment industry in the last 5 years.

From winning the Hennessy VS class national rap competition in 2017 to releasing 4 music projects to critical and commercial acclaim under the alias Vader The Wildcard; to partnering on ads with brands like Super Sports, Netflix, Prime Video, Burger King, Hennessy, Pepsi, Supa Komando, Orijin, Amstel Malta etc; to collaborating with notable content creators on social media like, Legal Juggernaut, Agba (Koni baje baby), Patrice Evra (Manchester United legend).

He has also headlined campaigns for the Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA), Global Rights Campaign, Emergency Response Africa to name of few. Frank also works as Head of Content at WTXtra, an agency under WeTalkSound (which is the largest online creative community in Nigeria).

WTxtra is a creative agency that provides services from design to PR and marketing for tech companies, music artistes and record labels in Africa. Through WTXtra, he has worked with Bolt Nigeria, Bolt France, Empire, D’Smoke, Teni The Entertainer,BadBoyTimz, Aristokrat Records, Tiwa Savage, Timaya, Reminisce etc.

Frank is also the individual behind the viral internet comedy series titled “If An Agbero Had A Diary” where he plays Samo Agbero. Frank has also collaborated on ad campaigns with an array of tech companies such as LearnAm (ScholarX), Dillali, Kaoshi Network, Skill Paddy to name a few.

Frank was a speaker and panelist at the Tech Summit Ogun State 2022 held in Abeokuta earlier this year.

Maria Olawumi Egunjobi

Event and Partnership Associate (Nigeria Innovation Summit)

Maria Olawumi Egunjobi

Event and Partnership Associate (Nigeria Innovation Summit)

Michael Quedo Mapholomi (MQM)

Remote Consultant, Speech-Etiquette Skills

Michael Quedo Mapholomi (MQM)

Remote Consultant, Speech-Etiquette Skills

Uche Imafidon (Lady Uche)

Etiquette Consultant and Trainer

Uche Imafidon (Lady Uche)

Etiquette Consultant and Trainer

Uche is a Diction and Life Skills Coach - an Etiquette Consultant and Trainer. She is also a certified Marriage Counselor who has had the privilege of working with Covenant Singles and Married Ministries (a faith-based organization based in Lagos, Nigeria) as a Counsellor, an On Air TV Presenter, and a Producer of their weekly television broadcast that aired on Silverbird TV and other television and radio stations.

She has had the privilege to speak at different conferences, seminars and summit as a human capacity development facilitator majoring on personal refinement.

Lady Uche currently serves as the Lead Facilitator at Furnished-Life Finishing School, a finishing school based in Lagos, Nigeria. She passionately discharges her duties by empowering her audience through her work on personal refinement and effectiveness.

Helping them in building values, effective habits, self-esteem, and confidence. Also on personality grooming, appearance, social graces, poise, and communication among others.

Daniel Adeyemi

Senior Reporter, TechCabal

Daniel Adeyemi

Senior Reporter, TechCabal

Daniel is a Senior Reporter at TechCabal. He is responsible for covering big tech and high-growth companies operating in Africa.

He also writes investigative and analytical pieces about technology’s impact on Africa and shares insights from investors in the African ecosystem through his bi-monthly column Ask an Investor.

Daniel is curious about how technology is impacting the lives of Africans. Before joining TechCabal, has spent the past 4 years working in the tech and consulting industry as an Accountant.

Daniel is a Chartered Accountant (ACCA), with a first degree in Accounting from Covenant University.

Anu Anibaba

Strategic Partnerships (West Africa), The Conversation Africa

Anu Anibaba

Strategic Partnerships (West Africa), The Conversation Africa

Thelma Okonwa

Marketing Lead, Bitmama Inc.

Thelma Okonwa

Marketing Lead, Bitmama Inc.

Thelma Okonwa is the Marketing Lead at Bitmama, a pan-African blockchain startup offering crypto products across payments, trading, loans, and investments, with footprints across Africa, Europe, and the US.

Over the past five years, Thelma has had her professional stint in social media management, content creation, copywriting and corporate communications.

She has also worked with numerous reputable companies across different industry strata such as media, technology, SaaS, fintech and blockchain.

Prior to joining Bitmama, Thelma worked at Pulse Nigeria, Transsion Holdings, TechNext, executed projects for Pepsi, Remy Martins and a host of other notable international and domestic brands.

Thelma is also a passionate creative and entrepreneur who derives fulfilment from helping brands to achieve the best marketing strategies in order to succeed in the African market digitally.

Osagie Alonge

Director of Marketing, Kippa

Osagie Alonge

Director of Marketing, Kippa

Osagie Alonge is a media and marketing expert with over a decade of experience.

He has helped scale media-tech platforms like Pulse Africa and Business Insider SSA and worked in the financial technology space with the likes of OPay and TeamApt.

He currently leads marketing at Kippa as the Director of Marketing.

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