OpenAI is calling for broad, inclusive collaboration to widen access to AI education across Africa, beginning with Nigeria’s academic community.
In collaboration with the University of Lagos (UNILAG), the company supported the continent’s first OpenAI Academy, designed to build AI literacy and equip African innovators with practical skills. The programme ran on October 16–17, 2025, during UNILAG’s 5th International Week themed “Equitable Partnerships and the Future of AI in Africa,” drawing students, faculty, and industry leaders to examine both the promise and the ethical complexities of AI on the continent.
Speaking during an interactive session at UNILAG, Emmanuel Lubanzadio, OpenAI’s Africa lead, underscored the urgency of action. He stressed that meaningful progress requires immediate, coordinated effort rather than incremental steps postponed to an uncertain future.
The initiative was coordinated by UNILAG’s Office of International Relations, Partnerships and Prospects (IRPP) in partnership with the African Engineering and Technology Network (Afretec). It aligns with the African Union’s Digital Transformation Strategy (2020–2030) and Nigeria’s National Digital Economy Policy, both of which prioritize inclusive digital skills development and ethically grounded innovation.
IRPP Director Professor Ismail Ibraheem highlighted that the partnership reflects UNILAG’s global orientation and its commitment to local impact. He noted that the University is intentional about preparing students to address Africa’s unique challenges through international collaboration, equitable access to digital skills, and rigorous, context-aware engagement with AI.
Launched in 2024, OpenAI’s Academy initiative aims to make AI literacy accessible to all through free workshops, hands-on training, and community-led learning. The Lagos debut focused on practical foundations, machine learning, generative AI, AI ethics, responsible innovation, and explored use cases tailored to African contexts.
Lubanzadio framed the launch as both a milestone and a call to action. He emphasized Africa’s deep pool of creative problem-solvers and the need to put practical tools in their hands, connect them to a global community, and ensure African priorities are represented in AI systems. While UNILAG is the first Nigerian partner, he said OpenAI’s broader goal is to expand AI access across the continent, noting that this cannot be the responsibility of any single organization; it requires a multi-stakeholder approach.
Discussions engaged lecturers and students on AI’s role in teaching, research, and development, with conversations ranging from academic integrity to sector applications such as agriculture, healthcare, and local language preservation. Examples cited included Digital Green’s use of OpenAI tools to help farmers detect crop diseases and Jacaranda Health’s use of chatbots to support expectant mothers in Kenya, illustrations of AI’s integration into essential services.
On language inclusion, Lubanzadio acknowledged gaps but pointed to recent progress. He referenced a partnership with Orange, operating in 18 African countries, and the availability of an open-weight model for African languages starting with Wolof, describing it as an early but meaningful step.
He encouraged institutions and learners to explore OpenAI’s Open Academy, a free learning platform offering AI education resources worldwide. Addressing privacy and data use, he reiterated that users can control whether their data contributes to model training and that OpenAI complies with data protection laws in each jurisdiction. Ultimately, he argued, responsible AI requires joint stewardship from policymakers, educators, and the private sector.
The Lagos event coincided with the introduction of ChatGPT Go, a lower-cost subscription tier available in Nigeria and 56 other countries, signaling a growing emphasis on Africa within the global AI dialogue. Lubanzadio closed by describing the UNILAG collaboration as the beginning of a longer-term engagement with African academia and an invitation to build on the momentum generated during the event.
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