Review of 2024

Building AI solutions for Africa requires more than just technical expertise - it demands persistence, vision, and a deep understanding of local challenges.

2024 proved that combining technical innovation with practical solutions can drive real change in African markets. As we advanced our work on identity verification systems, each challenge reinforced why local context matters in AI development.

Key milestones that shaped our impact:

• Won 2024 MBB Grant Award (2x winner) for Ojumi platform

• Promoted to Head of AI at Gamol Studio

• Began MSc in Electrical/Electronics Engineering at University of Lagos

• Led development of AI-powered identity verification solutions

Most impactful developments:

"Ojumi AI-Powered Identity Verification"

Designed to address fragmented identity systems and expand financial inclusion across Africa

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7276479942123540480/

"Advancing AI Research in African Markets"

How local context shapes effective AI solutions

"Technical Innovation Meets Market Need"

Building identity verification systems that work for African realities

The parallel tracks of technical leadership and continued education have strengthened our ability to develop solutions that truly serve African markets. Every challenge in identity verification has reinforced why understanding local context matters as much as technical capability.

Looking ahead to 2025: We're focused on expanding Ojumi's impact while deepening our technical expertise through graduate studies in control systems. The intersection of AI innovation and practical market needs remains our north star.

To every innovator working to solve real challenges in African markets: technical excellence matters, but understanding local context transforms good solutions into transformative ones.

Electric Drives

For my masters thesis, I am working on control of electric drives. Electric drives powers electric vehicles, modern robotics and gadgets. Ongoing research are to reduce power consumption, heat disspation and size of these systems so effective control can be achieved at high reliability and efficiency. With existing controllers, we could develop algorithms that can help us achieve dextrity with machines. Electric drives helps us achieve precision in control at the hardware level. Next, we can integrate AI or mobile apps for monitoring and customised agent control.

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 ...

Becoming a MATLAB Student Ambassador

It is indeed an honor to share that I am now the MATLAB student ambassador for the University of Lagos. My role is to organise programs and events that helps grow the adoption of the MATLAB software on campus. I will also be undergoing some inhouse training under the tootalage of the engineers at MathWorks. MATLAB student ambassadors are important links between MathWorks and the University of Lagos. Ambassadors inform students about the availability of MATLAB and Simulink on campus and showcase the products’ functionality—all while earning money. Millions of engineers and scientists rely on MATLAB and Simulink in a wide range of applications and industries. I am now part of the global MATLAB community and will gain essential professional experience by working with a leading technical computing software company while still in school.

Story of the 1st Partnership

Mr Ibrahim, how come you write and speak so well? I wondered like the loading icon of a just booting phone. I have a story for that, I said. Back in 2011, I took my first waec GCE. I was still in SS2 but my teachers were so sure I would ace it. Got my A1 in math as usual but failed English. It came in different flavors of emotions from denial to realisation and finally to acceptance. That woke me up like a wounded tiger. As great as other results were in the 9 subjects, the result was as good as useless in my opinion. Then in my secondary school, I had a friend called Olubi. He was born in the United States and is very good in english. Anytime the dictionary is not around. We would ask him to read the word. His pronunciation is the correct one by default. He also took the GCE but failed all subjects except english which he had A1. I walked up to him and said.. hello.. he said nice meeting you.. (often times I dont hear his accent). You will teach me english, I will teach you math....

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.

Announcement

✨ Exciting News! ✨ I am honored to announce that I have become the MATLAB Student Ambassador at University of Lagos In this role, I will: 💻 Promote MATLAB/Simulink learning and resources on campus 📢 Organize events and share the latest updates 🙌 Provide support to students and professors who use MATLAB A big thank you to MathWorks for the warm welcome and the amazing welcome kit 🎁 shipped from the U.S.! Looking forward to connecting with more peers and professionals who are passionate about technology, education, and innovation 🚀 Special thanks to Andreas Weidlich, James Drummond, AbdulKarim Giwa Suleiman, Adeola Balogun and Ahmed Yinusa in contributing to this success. Cheers 🤝

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.

Temperature and Pressure Control Simulation

We considered an interacting loop and process fermentation. Models the fermentation tank temperature and pressure dynamics. Uses PID control for both temperature and pressure. Simulates the system's response to heat (yeast) and CO₂ disturbances. Plots real-time regulation toward setpoints.

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!

Review of 2024

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