Speakers
Peter Okebukola is a Distinguished Professor of science and computer education at Lagos State University, Nigeria. He had his higher education at the University of Ibadan where he obtained his Bachelor’s degree in 1973 followed by Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Science Education in the same university.
He had specialised science and technology training at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.), and Harvard University, both in Cambridge, USA. He is a Fellow of the Science Association of Nigeria (SAN), Fellow and President of the Nigerian Association for Environmental Education and Fellow and past President of the Science Teachers Association of Nigeria (STAN).
He won the prestigious 1992 UNESCO Prize for the Communication of Science. He has won several international gold medals in science, environmental and computer education.
He has served as team leader of several quality assurance projects involving UNESCO, the African Union, the World Bank, the Association of African Universities and the Global University Network for Innovation (GUNI-Africa).
He was concurrently the Chairman of the Council of four Nigerian universities.
He is currently the Chairman of the Council of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), He is the Executive Chairman, Okebukola Science Foundation. He was Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (2001-2006). He has been awarded a number of honorary D.Sc degrees. He is the recipient of the National Honour of the Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic- OFR.
Prof. Peter Okebukola
Professor Aderemi Atayero is a professor of Communication Engineering. He served as the 5th Vice Chancellor of Covenant University, Ota. He is recognised for contemporary multidisciplinary academic research with a special focus on wireless/mobile communications.
Engineer Atayero is a Fellow of various professional associations, as well as a COREN Registered Engineer. He is on the editorial board of several international scientific and engineering Journals. Atayero is a WACREN Ambassador for Nigeria, and a member of the TETFund Research and Development Standing Committee (RDSC).
Prof. Aderemi Atayero
Elder Urum Kalu “UK” Eke, Mfr (born 20 November 1964) was the Group Managing Director, FBN Holdings Plc, a position from which he retired in December 2021.
Prior to this appointment, he was an executive director with First Bank of Nigeria Limited. Before this, he had worked with Diamond Bank Plc. where he rose to become an executive director. He began his career in 1986 with Deloitte Haskins & Sells International, a firm of chartered accountants.
A recipient of the Nigerian National Order of Merit (NNOM), Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (Mfr),[4] UK, as he is more commonly known, is also a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria.
Elder Urum Kalu
Professor Esther Titilayo Akinlabi is a Full Professor of Mechanical Engineering. She is currently serving as the Deputy Faculty Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Knowledge Exchange), at the Faculty of Engineering and Environment, Northumbria University, Newcastle, UK.
She was the Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering Science, Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of Johannesburg (UJ), South Africa. [1] She was also the Vice Dean for Teaching and Learning at the institution. She is a member of the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) and a member of the African Academy of Sciences.
Esther Titilayo Akinlabi was born in Kabba, Kogi State, Nigeria. She graduated from St Barnabas Secondary School, Kabba and obtained her first degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Federal University of Technology, Akure in 1997. She obtained her M. Sc mechanical engineering from the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria in 2003 and she moved to Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa for her PhD in 2010.
Prof. Titilayo Akinlabi
Professor Muritala Sagagi specializes in Entrepreneurship and Global Economics. He obtained his degrees from Bayero University and Kano (BUK), Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto; conducted graduate research on Global Economics at Brandies University, Boston and received entrepreneurship training at the International Training Centre, Turin, Italy.
He was a pioneer Dean of Dangote Business School and pioneer Director Centre for African Entrepreneurship Research and Training, BUK. He’s a Fulbright Fellow who helped manage/coordinate many international projects supported by several international organisations, including World Bank, IFAD, British Council, and Bill and Malinda Gates Foundation, among others. The bulk of the projects was designed to promote good agricultural policies, attract private investments, generate local economic growth, create jobs and reduce poverty/gender inequality.
He served as a Policy Adviser to the Minister of Agriculture and over time assisted in the development of regional and national policies and strategies, including the promotion of entrepreneurship and employability in Africa. He’s currently a professor at Dangote Business School and Inclusive Economic Growth Adviser to FSSP/Global Affairs Canada.
Prof. Muritala Sagagi
Professor Abiodun Humphrey Adebayo currently serves as the Vice-Chancellor of Covenant University, Nigeria. He holds a PhD degree in Biochemistry and has published in reputable local and international journals. He is a grant reviewer with international organizations, such as the Medical Research Council, UK. He is a fellow of the Nigerian Young Academy (NYA) and a Sectional Editor of the Annals of Science and Technology. He is also a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Administration. Professor Adebayo’s biography is listed and published in the 30th edition of Marquis Who’s Who in the World in the United States. He is a member of some national and international societies. He had served on different University Committees and Boards at different times.
Professor Adebayo is a member of the accreditation panel of the National Universities Commission (NUC) where he visited and accredited the Biochemistry programme. He is an external assessor of faculty into Professorial Chair to some Universities. He had also served as an external examiner to some Universities in Nigeria. Professor Adebayo is a recipient of several local and international awards and had served as keynote speaker, invited speaker, guest speaker and roundtable discussant at some local and international conferences, workshops, seminars, etc. He was recently elected to the governing board of the Association of African Universities (AAU).
Prof. Abiodun Adebayo
Professor Gabriel Agbor holds a PhD in Biochemistry with over 20 years of research experience in Phyto- biochemistry. He is a Director of Research and Heads the Centre for Research on Medicinal Plants and Traditional Medicine at the Institute of Medical Research and Medicinal Plants Studies, Cameroon. He also Heads the African Network for Drugs and Diagnostic Innovation (ANDI) Centre of Excellence on Traditional Medicine Research.
Dr Agbor is a Fellow of the Cameroon Academy of Sciences, a Member African Scientific Research and Innovation Council (ASRIC), a Vice President of the Cameroon Biosciences Society, a Senior Fulbright Alumnus, Visiting Professor at the Catholic University of Central Africa Yaoundé-Cameroon, Madonna University Elele-Nigeria. He is an Academic Editor of PLOS ONE Journal and an Editorial board member Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Journal.
He is a Topic Editor in Frontiers in Pharmacology. Coauthored 5 patents and 130 scientific publications. He is a resource person for the Cameroon National Committee for Technology Development (CNDT) and the Cameroon Biosecurity Committee (CNB/MINEPDED). Has been the Principal investigator in a series of funded national and international projects.
Prof. Gabriel Agbor
Professor Mahendhiran S. Nair is a distinguished Professor of Econometrics and Data Science and the Pro Vice-Chancellor of Research Engagement and Impact at Sunway University, Malaysia. He is the architect for the development of the Malaysian Science, Technology and Innovation (10-10 MySTIE) Framework, which was adopted by the Malaysian government in the 12th Malaysia Plan (2021-2025).
The 10-10 MySTIE provides a framework to deepen the impact of 10 global science & technology drivers on Malaysia’s 10 socioeconomic drivers. This framework is used by government agencies and industries to develop strategic plans to enhance their global competitiveness.
Professor Nair is trained as an econometrician and data scientist. His research interests are in economic & technology policy modelling and development economics. He has written more than 100 research papers and reports; some of them have been published in top-tiered refereed international journals. He has been a subject matter expert for government agencies, public policy organisations, industry, community organisations and and ‘think tanks’ in Malaysia, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region.
He is a member of the National Science Council of Malaysia and the High-Tech Council of Malaysia and the United Nation’s Sustainable Solution Network (Malaysia). He is a Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia and a Fellow of CPA (Australia).
Prof. Mahendhiran Nair
Professor Chinedum Peace Babalola is a Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry/Pharmacokinetics and Vice-Chancellor of Chrisland University Abeokuta and a past Dean, of the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ibadan. Her research focuses on pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (PK/PD), pharmacogenetics, clinical trials/bioethics, quality assurance and drug development.
She has received over 25 grants, awards and fellowships including a MacArthur grant (approx. $1m) to set up the Centre for Drug Discovery, Development and Production (CDDDP) at the University of Ibadan with patent registration-ready medical products. She is on the Advisory Committee for Rethinking Malaria at Harvard University School of Public Health USA, an Expert Community member for the breaking the chain of infection’ initiative, Reckitt-Benckiser UK, Executive Board member, of the Committee of Vice Chancellors Association of Nigerian Universities (CVCNU) and a Jury Member for selection of Kwame Nkrumah African Science Prize Awards by African Union (AU) Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Prof Babalola has recorded many firsts and awards including being the first pharmacist inducted Fellow of the Academy of Science- (FAS), and the first female Nigerian inducted Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences (FAAS). She was selected twice (2016 & 2018) as one of the 10 most influential female scientists in Nigeria and one of the 100 leading Women in Science in Africa (2021). With over 100 scientific publications and supervision of over 50 postgraduate students, Babalola has received several prizes and awards including the prestigious African Union Kwame Nkrumah Regional Prize for Scientific Excellence in 2019/2020, thus making her an African Union (AU) Laureate.
She obtained B.Pharm, MSc. and PhD. degrees from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada and obtained PG Diploma in Industrial Advanced Pharmacy (IPAT) jointly from Kilimanjaro School of Pharmacy Tanzania & Purdue University & Howard University, USA as well as Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) from University of Benin, Nigeria.
Prof. Peace Babalola
Colin is a director of the consultancy company, CDS Partnership Limited, specialising in providing both contracted and pro bono services for strategy and business development, inward investment, programme management, technology portfolio development and change management. He is also a Non-Executive Director of MSC Consulting Services Limited. Previously, he was Chief Executive Officer of the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) in Sheffield, UK, and a Director of Casting Technology International. He joined the AMRC from Airbus in February 2016 where held the position of Head of Research & Technology for Airbus in the UK.
Prior to this, his previous position was that of Head of Landing Gear PDT (Product Delivery Team) on the A350XWB Program. Having moved from the automotive industry into aerospace by joining Messier-Dowty Landing Gear in 1997, Colin worked on a number of programs from the Boeing X32 JSF, through A3XX and 787. His focus latterly was leading the development of enabling technologies and manufacturing systems for landing gear systems.
He holds an Honours Degree from the University of Aston in Birmingham, Production Technology and Management, an MBA from the University of Bath, he is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and is Deputy Chair of the Learned Society Board. In addition to his industry commitments, he acts as a business advisor to the PROMPT Maternity Foundation that researches the technologies and techniques for safer childbirth and is a Board Member of Scarborough UTC.
Colin Sirett
Professor Olusola Oyewole is the Secretary-General of the Association of African Universities, Accra, Ghana. He was the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, from 2012 to 2017. He has served as a Senior Expert (Quality Assurance, Mobility and Scholarships) at the Department of Human Resources, Science and Technology of the African Union Commission in Ethiopia, Addis-Ababa, from 2009 to 2010.
Prior to coming over to the African Union Commission, Prof. Oyewole was the Coordinator of the British Government sponsored project on the “Mobilization of Regional Initiatives for the revitalization of higher education in Africa”, at the Association of African Universities (AAU), Accra, Ghana, from 2007 to 2009. His assignment involved the promotion and management of African continental research networking and research programs for development. He has also served as the Project Officer of the World Bank project on “Quality Assurance for African Higher Education systems” at the Association of African Universities (2006 – 2009).
At the African Union, Prof. Olusola Oyewole was responsible for the Coordination of the Mwalimu Nyerere Scheme, which programs include the African Quality Rating Mechanisms (AQRM) scheme, the Mwalimu Nyerere Scholarship program, and the African – EU-ACP Mobility scheme. He is currently a member of the Advisory Group of the OECD Programme on Innovation, Higher Education and Research for Development, and the Tuning Africa Quality Assurance program.
His major interests include internationalisation, Quality Assurance, Science, Technology and Innovation, Globalization, Higher Education Policy, Leadership and Management of Higher Education institutions and Sustainable Development.
Prof. Olusola Oyewole
Professor Muritala Awodun joined Crown-Hill University in October 2019, upon completion of his tenure at the Kwara State Internal Revenue Service, where he served as Executive Chairman (2015-2019). He is the Director of the Centre for Enterprise and Human Capital Development at the University. He was the pioneer Dean of the School of Business and Governance at Kwara State University (2013–2015), and pioneer Director of KWASU Centre for Entrepreneurship (2009–2013), the first entrepreneurship centre established in any Nigerian public university. Prior to this, he lectured at the Lagos State University, Ojo (1999–2009) after his private sector experience (1991-1999). He is a consultant to many states in Nigeria on revenue management and director of several business organisations.
Professor Awodun has consulted for several organizations, both locally and internationally, some of which are the Ford Foundation, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the European Commission. He has attended many professional and executive education programmes in the US, UK, Singapore and UAE, and has received many awards and fellowships from several professional associations locally and internationally. Awodun has authored several published journal articles, case studies and books. He is the Founder of Fifty-fifty Institute Limited, an organization set up ‘to break new grounds in enterprise and job creation’, and MAWO Foundation, a ‘widows and orphans’ foundation.
Prof. Muritala Awodun