Olubayo Adekanmbi
Dr. Olubayo Adekanmbi is a leading African voice in artificial intelligence, inclusive innovation, and digital transformation. He is Founder and CEO of Data Science Nigeria and Co-Founder and CEO of EqualyzAI, an African AI company developing voice-first, agentic intelligence that works across local languages, dialects, accents, devices, and connectivity environments.
With more than 24 years of executive and technical experience, he has held senior leadership roles at MTN Nigeria, MTN Group South Africa, and Airtel Africa UK, leading strategy, analytics, innovation, and digital transformation across more than 30 African markets. He co-facilitated Nigeria’s National AI Strategy and has contributed to global conversations on AI safety, governance, and responsible innovation with leading international organizations.
A strong advocate for inclusive and localized AI, Dr. Adekanmbi has led major initiatives advancing AI access in African languages, including Hausa and Yoruba. His work has received global recognition, with multiple solutions selected among the UNESCO/IRCAI Top 100 AI Projects for Social Good, alongside a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Global Grand Challenge Award.
He holds a PhD from the University of London, has trained over 500,000 young Africans in AI and data science, publishes at leading AI conferences, and is the author of several books, including Africa’s first AI book for children.
