University of Lagos Launches AI-Themed Innovation Pod
The University of Lagos has launched an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-themed University Innovation Pod (UNIPOD) on its campus, part of a network of 13 UNIPODs being established across Africa by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
This initiative aims to connect research with product innovation while empowering the continent’s youth to lead industrial development.
Professor Folashade Ogunwola, the university’s Vice Chancellor, announced this during a recent UNDP public lecture and the groundbreaking ceremony for the AI UniPOD at the institution’s Senate Building.
UniPODS is part of the UNDP’s pan-African initiative, Timbuktoo, designed to inspire university students to engage in innovation and design thinking.
The program focuses on fostering innovative, scalable, and impactful entrepreneurship among African youth, supported by a network of partners dedicated to building an African youth innovation and startup ecosystem.
UNIPODS also explores various sectors across Africa, including Agritech, health tech, greentech, trade tech, tourism tech, edtech, creatives, and smart cities.
Also Read: African Innovators Benefit from Timboktoo Fintech Startups
In her opening remarks, Ogunwola stated, “UniPOD aims to encourage university students to engage in innovation and design thinking. This multi-faceted project is focused on nurturing innovative and impactful entrepreneurship among young Africans, leveraging partnerships to strengthen the youth innovation ecosystem.”
She described the UniPOD as a “dynamic hub where a community of dreamers, thinkers, and doers unite in their passion for pursuing groundbreaking ideas and transforming them into reality.”
At the launch, Ahunna Eziakonwa, the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP’s Regional Director for Africa emphasized the need to invest in the creative industries, including music, fashion, and technology, as a vital part of economic transformation.
Eziakonwa affirmed that Nigeria will elevate Africa to the next level of innovation, while UniLAG’s Vice Chancellor reiterated, “Nigeria will always lead in innovation and serve as an anchor for economic transformation in Africa.”
