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.

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 ...

Lochav

Our locust harvesting technology is called locharv. It is simply a drone driven, lightweight, origami deployable structure for locust fishing. At the core is our ai driven technology for locust tracking, capturing and notification system. Our solution is designed to capture the maximum obtainable locust per flight with its capturing net. This net is a specially designed origami net specifically for locust capturing. Visit our website for more locharv website

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.

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.

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.

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.

Induction Machine Simulation

Induction Machines are quite useful in industrial designs because of their variable speed control and applity for easy configuration.

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.

Ibrahim is a multi-award winning innovator whose expertise interconnects hardware, software and AI development in Africa. Ibrahim is an AI expert with over half a decade experience in the African tech space. He is all about growth and greatness with innovation in Africa. He works as the Chief AI Scientist at Gamol Studio.

Checkoja

Checkoja is a reliable platform to check the current prices of goods in local markets across Africa. Powered by remote data routing and real-time data analytics. The goal is to create the heartbeat of the African e-commerce ecosystem that allows people to track prices at their convenience while also providing a databank for old prices and connecting millions of local markets to the internet. As a son of a farmer who has viewed this ecosystem for decades, the economic analysis of the market can be checked in terms of prices and the tech must be deployed locally. As a Yoruba boy, I call this innovation check oja which means, view market. It is debatable that price availability might not be novel enough as Jumia and other e-commerce platforms have done so for accessories especially in Nigeria. The lacuna lies in foodstuffs and local farmers who belong to the poor class of which uniquely using data analytics and AI will transform their lives. This beckons for a layer of local penetration ...

Review of 2024

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