OpenAI has selected the University of Lagos (UNILAG) as the home of its first-ever Artificial Intelligence academy in Africa, a move that cements the institution’s growing reputation as a continental hub for innovation, research, and global collaboration.
The announcement was made during the opening ceremony of UNILAG’s 2025 International Week held in Akoka, Lagos.
Themed “Equitable Partnerships and the Future of AI in Africa,” this year’s International Week drew academics, innovators, government officials, and industry leaders from across the world to explore how global cooperation can accelerate inclusive technological growth on the continent.
Professor Afolabi Lesi, the deputy vice-chancellor (Development Services), described the International Week as a gathering for building global partnerships that create shared impact, stressing that beyond the intellectual conversations, UNILAG’s real goal is to translate dialogue into tangible outcomes.
“We are here to move from intent to results that can be seen and felt by our faculty, our students, our communities, and our nations. At UNILAG, internationalisation, research, industry engagement, and artificial intelligence meet in a way that is purposeful, ethical, and equitable,” Lesi said.
Lesi highlighted that UNILAG’s partnership model is founded on co-design and shared standards. “Partners choose UNILAG because capability here is matched by contextual knowledge tested in real environments. Our engineers work with linguists, our clinicians with social scientists — so that technology answers to people and places, not the other way round,” he said.
Professor Folasade T. Ogunsola, the vice-chancellor, called the event a pivotal gathering of minds of purpose and vision, and urged African institutions to move from being passive consumers to active creators in the AI revolution.
“Artificial Intelligence is not the future; it is the present. For Africa, AI represents an opportunity to leapfrog limitations and reimagine education, healthcare, governance, and industry. But for AI to truly serve Africa, the foundation must be equitable partnerships, rooted not in charity, but in shared growth, mutual respect, and co-creation,” she said.
Ogunsola cited examples from UNILAG’s ongoing research efforts, including its health innovation challenge, nuclear engineering partnerships, and medicinal plant research, as proof that the university is building solutions that fit African contexts. “The future of AI is not in Silicon Valley alone; it is in Lagos, Nairobi, Kigali, Accra, Cairo, and Johannesburg, in the minds of young Africans who dare to dream, build, and lead,” she said to applause.
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