Skip to main content

Building for Africa

That is why I focus on building AI solutions for Africa, irrespective of whether the Western version already exists. It is a fact that Western tools often don't perform well with local feature detection or deployment realities in Africa. In Africa, however, we like to talk and watch others do things for us. With my AI works, I hope it inspires more innovators to build for Africa and iterate till it fits our local contexts. Individually, this will give us confidence that we are not spectators and allow us to contribute significantly to the league of AI research. Africa should not just be a deployment zone. It can also be the building zone that prevents AI solutions from being biased in Africa. No GPT of the future can guarantee that without us. I believe that the key contribution is our work to do. 




Related article

Building Ojumi

I would like to show a great appreciation to MBB grant for sponsoring this project. For me, it is a great gesture of believe and support for innovators in Africa. We live in a world where it is hard to be trusted to build anything of substance without too much bureaucracy and noise. After the award of the grant (#700,000) in December 2024, I kickstarted the project. The project was divided into 4 key parts which are the Overview Research, Prototype Development, AI Model Development and Project Testing. Each of these processes is a series of back-and-forth interactions that served as a critical milestone for the project and taught me some great lessons. The project research involves one-on-one meetings, sharing questionnaires, and talking to potential users about the idea, both physically and on social media. The feedback was great, and I got the validation that ojumi is a needed solution that people are willing to pay for. This process took about a month and really got me excited. For ...

1st Ambassador for MathWorks in Nigeria

Earlier this week, I was introduced as the first ever ambassador MathWorks will be having from Nigeria during our global ambassadorship meeting. As I relect on this, the lesson is - we have what it takes to be world class in us. We have to continue to believe in ourselves and strive for the best. The true competition isn't in Nigeria or our immediate environment. It is in us becoming world class and not giving up on ourselves. Anything we do, we have to be able to compete at the world level by striving to get better at all times.  

Research 2025

Everything on my plate is machine learning research. To march means to move so I will be moving with wisdom into the realm of research for coming months. I hope to convert some of my works into publications and have fun in the process. I revisited my statement of purpose and also conceptualised some research proposals for my postgraduate work. I also learnt how to use latex and how to draft research proposals. The goal is to rekindle my dream to become a world class researcher.

Conveyor Belt Simulation Control

 In this simulation, I showed how the conveyor belt for Dangote Cement Factory can be modelled for effective control using matlab and simulink.

Marshalling University of Lagos MATLAB Community

I recently gave a talk to other MATLAB Ambassadors in the UK and Ireland about our community. This one page slide introduces my work and captures the  progress so far. I plan to have a physical event on campus by January 2026 when most people are around.

AI Grant 2024

  I am happy to announce the recipient of an AI grant for project Ojumi. This award makes me a two times MBB grant winner. All praises to God and those who truly believe in us towards building ai driven solutions in Africa. To the organisers, I am truly greatful for this award.

Ojumi

Ojumi is an ai powered identity recorgnition software. It identify faces, fingerprints, passports and NIN documents. Oju means eyes. Ojumi means my eyes.  It is an intelligent eyes for verification. As a verification layer, it can be synced with fintech, security, education and entertainment platforms (tickets).   

Appointement by Nigerian Research and Education Network (NgREN)

MATLAB Launches Student Ambassadorship Programme at UNILAG with Support from NgREN NgREN, in partnership with MathWorks , has facilitated the selection of Mr. Ibrahim Gbadegesin as the first MATLAB Student Ambassador at the University of Lagos (UNILAG). Representing NgREN, Mr. AbdulKarim Giwa Suleiman emphasized the importance of equipping Nigerian students with globally recognized tools that foster innovation and skills for the future. As Ambassador, Ibrahim will lead awareness, training, and outreach to expand MATLAB and Simulink adoption at UNILAG and beyond. This milestone highlights NgREN’s commitment to partnerships that connect Nigerian academia with global platforms for teaching, research, and innovation. Congratulations, Ibrahim!