Keynote Speakers

Dr. Bosun Tijani
Minister of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy, Federal Republic of Nigeria

Dr. Bosun Tijani is the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He is the co-founder and former CEO of Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB), the leading pan-African technology and innovation center with presence in Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda and Namibia. Under his leadership, CcHUB became a vital catalyst for the African tech ecosystem, promoting collaboration, knowledge sharing and the development of groundbreaking solutions to local and global challenges. Prior to CcHUB, he led the networking and coordination of innovation agencies across Europe as European Innovation Manager at PERA, and also previously worked at the International Trade Centre, in Geneva Switzerland. Dr. Tijani holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of Jos, a Masters degree in Information Systems and Management from Warwick University and a Doctorate degree in Innovation and Economic Development from the University of Leicester. He is also an adjunct professor at the Wits School of Governance, South Africa, a Desmond Tutu Fellow and fellow of the Centre for Democracy and Rule of Law at the prestigious Stanford University .

Dr. Rasmus Lema
Associate Professor, UNU-MERIT, The Netherlands

United Nations University (UNU-MERIT) and University of Johannesburg (SARChI: Transformative Innovation)
Rasmus Lema holds a PhD from the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) at the University of Sussex.  His areas of specialisation are sustainable industrialisation, technological learning and the digital economy. He has a strong track record in leading international research projects and as a frequent adviser to development and STI agencies he is known for connecting original research to policy. He currently serves as vice-president of Globelics and is the editor-in-chief of the journal Innovation and Development.

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.
Dr. Angella Ndaka,
Gender and digitization expert/Ethics of AI expert
Title of the presentation: Unmasking the politics of AI and data-driven economies in Africa.

Contacts

AfricaLics Secretariat
African Centre for Technology Studies
ICIPE, Duduville Campus, Kasarani
P.O. Box 45917 - 00100
Nairobi - Kenya

Email: secretariat [at] africalics.org
Tel: +254 710 607210