UNILAG ICAIR 2026 conference pushes for home-grown artificial intelligence

Experts at the University of Lagos have called for Africa to take greater ownership of artificial intelligence development and its data resources to drive economic growth and strengthen its global competitiveness. The call was made at the 2026 International Conference on Artificial Intelligence Research, hosted by the University of Lagos, where researchers and policymakers stressed the need for home-grown technology solutions. The three-day conference carries the theme "Artificial Intelligence for Africa’s Sustainable Economic Growth." Sennaike Oladipupo, the chairman of the local organising committee and principal researcher at the Nigeria AI Research Lab at the university, stated that Africa should stop depending on outside technologies. He identified agriculture, healthcare and education as critical sectors where artificial intelligence can solve local challenges. Folasade Ogunsola, the vice-chancellor of the university, was represented by Matthew Ilori, the deputy vice-chancellor in charge of academics and research. She pointed out the technological gap between Africa and advanced economies regarding computing infrastructure like central processing units and graphics processing units. She urged African governments to commit more resources to building local technological capacity. Kanshukan Rajaratnam, director of data science and computational thinking at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, delivered the keynote address. He noted that Africa's adoption of artificial intelligence remains constrained by inadequate infrastructure, limited research investment and the migration of skilled professionals. He advised African countries to invest in quality local datasets and build systems that understand local languages. An opening day panel discussion focused on data sovereignty and economic value, moderated by Chika Yinka-Banjo, a professor of artificial intelligence and robotics at the university. Panellists included Olusola Teniola from ipNX Nigeria Limited, Akanimoh Ojo from Source Microfinance Bank Limited, and Sam Immanuel from Semicolon. The speakers discussed the need for stronger data governance, local data centres and market-relevant training to help young people translate technical knowledge into viable solutions.