Prof. Williams O. SIYANBOLA,
Research professor Centre for Energy Research and Development, Obafemi Awolowo University
Title of the presentation: Technological innovation and digital economic transformation for sustainable development in Africa: opportunities and challenges.
Willie Siyanbola is a Research Professor at the Centre for Energy Research and Development, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. He obtained his BSc in Engineering-Physics from the then University of Ife, Ile-Ife, Nigeria in 1983, during which time he won a National Merit Award for high academic proficiency (1981-83) and later, graduated with the best students’ Award in his Department, in 1983. He earned his M.Sc (Energy Studies) and D.Phil. (Solid State Physics) from the University of Sussex, Brighton, UK in 1986 and 1991 respectively. At different times (2005-2009), he also received Executive Education in the broad areas of Science Advice and Advocacy as well as Science and Innovation Policy for Development at the prestigious John F. Kennedy School of Government and Public Policy, Harvard University, USA.
For close to decade, Prof Siyanbola served as the Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of the National Centre for Technology Management (NACETEM), an Agency of the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, where he initiated and coordinated several policy research projects/activities in the broad areas of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) for development. To date, he has remained a regular speaker at local and international STI policy fora, meetings and conferences. He is the go-to expert/ consultant to a number of global organisations (including UNESCO, ECOWAS, AUDA-NEPAD, NGOs etc,) in Research and Development, Technology Innovation, STI policy design and training matters. He is a Fellow of the Materials Science and Engineering Society (MSN) and Solar Energy Society of Nigeria (SESN); member of the National Business Incubation Association of America, among other prestigious professional associations.