The reputation of the University of Lagos as an emerging force for the promotion and deployment of new technologies in academia was the pull factor for OpenAI in its choice of a partner on the African continent.
That disclosure was the highlight of the UNILAG-OpenAI Fireside Chat, an event held at the J.F. Ade. Ajayi (Main) Auditorium on Thursday, October 16, 2025 as the climax of the 5th International Week of UNILAG.
Mr. Emmanuel Lubanzadio, the Africa Lead at OpenAI, made the revelation while responding to a question on how the collaboration with the University of Lagos came about and its choice as the host of the first OpenAI Academy in Africa.
He emphasised that the University’s location in the city of Lagos, which is globally renowned for its technology hubs, and the excellent work of its researchers in the field of AI and Machine Learning made the choice of UNILAG an easy one for them.
A chance meeting on LinkedIn
Doubling down on how he came to connect with the UNILAG brand, he revealed that a random look through LinkedIn (a business and professional networking site), on a certain day connected him with Professor Babatunde Sawyer of the Department of Computer Science, UNILAG.
“It’s funny to say but, one day, I was simply scrolling through LinkedIn to catch up on developments and then I stumbled on a post that Professor Babatunde Sawyer had made on his work with AI and Machine Learning. I read through, found it interesting, connected with him – and here we are! That speaks to the power of technology and the leverage it affords all of us for visibility and collaboration”, he said.
Interaction, Insights, and Inspiration
In a highly interactive and insightful session moderated by Ms. Toyin Ganiyu of the Office of International Relations, Partnership and Prospects (IRPP, UNILAG), Mr. Lubanzadio touched on many areas of curiosity and concern that members of the audience had about Artificial Intelligence.
On accessibility, he revealed that there are over 700million weekly users of ChatGPT, the flagship product of OpenAI, globally and that it was the mission of his organisation to widen that reach. As proof of that, he made particular mention of ChatGPT Go, a new, low-cost subscription plan that provides expanded access to the AI model’s most popular features at an affordable price.
On capacity building and ensuring that Africans are not merely consumers but co-creators with AI, Mr. Lubanzadio reiterated the launch of Open AI Academy, a free learning platform, where people of all age categories can get familiar with AI and learn to use it for research, advisory, and general productivity.
“On academy.openai.com, you can learn to deploy ChatGPT for different use cases and become really good at what you do.”
On how Africa will cope in the Age of AI, the OpenAI Africa lead affirmed his belief that “Africa will make its own way in the AI Age – and what institutions like the University of Lagos is doing shows that promise. Africa has the abundance of talents and what we must do for that demographic strength is to empower it with democratized AI literacy. AI Literacy has to be a multi-stakeholder project on the continent.”
On the immense potentials of AI for young people, he charged them to “understand that this is the best time to be a student. You are living in the time of a technology that can be many things to you – a research assistant, a content creator, and an adviser. AI is an equalizer and a provider of opportunities; and I urge you to maximise its capacity to the fullest.”
On the concern of academics about the over-reliance of students on AI for academic work, the OpenAI Africa Lead admitted to not having the specialist knowledge required to give a definitive response but acknowledged the concerns as valid and promised to relay same to the Education Department of his organization so that it will be factored into further developments of the technology.
Mr. Lubanzadio rounded off his submission by affirming that “now is the best time to collaborate and learn from each other. Stay curious and network among yourselves, Share ideas and try them out with Artificial Intelligence. You never know what giants you may be birthing.”
In his role as Africa Lead at OpenAI. Mr. Emmanuel Lubanzadio leads the company’s strategic engagement across the continent, spanning policy, partnerships, and ecosystem development.
AI Use: Intelligent, Ethical, and Humanistic
During the interactive session with the audience, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development Services), Professor Afolabi Lesi, encouraged students to never delegate their thinking to Artificial Intelligence.
“As a lecturer, when I give you assignments, what I am looking for in your submission is your perspective and critical thinking. If I don’t see your ability to contextualise knowledge and localise it to the issues at hand, I won’t give you an A. At best, you’ll get a D for effort”, he stated, eliciting laughter from the audience.
A fitting closing
The Fireside Chat was a fitting closing to Day 4 of the UNILAG International Week 2025, which began on Monday, October 13 (For highlights of the Week’s Official Opening Ceremony, please click: https://youtu.be/q3_dah487wc
Report: Isaiah Kumuyi
Photography: Akindele Oluwatofiyinfun Isaac (Student Volunteer) & Olalemi Adedoyin (Student Volunteer)
