Biography

Olubayo Adekanmbi is a globally recognised artificial intelligence expert and innovation strategist, widely acknowledged as a leading voice in Africa’s AI-for-development landscape. With over 24 years of executive and technical experience, he leads transformative work as Founder of Data Science Nigeria and Co-Founder of EqualyzAI, where he champions inclusive, agentic AI tailored for emerging markets.

He holds a PhD from the University of London, with further executive training at Columbia, INSEAD and ETH Zurich. His AI innovations have earned international accolades from UNESCO and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Adekanmbi previously led data, analytics and innovation as a C-level executive at MTN Nigeria and Airtel Africa UK - Africa’s two largest telecommunications companies - serving more than 300 million users across over 30 countries.

A key contributor to Nigeria’s National AI Policy, he actively engages with global tech leaders such as Google, Meta, Microsoft and GSMA. He is also a published scholar and highly ranked data scientist dedicated to advancing Africa’s AI talent, innovation and policy ecosystem.