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Five Nigerian students participate in African Leadership University’s Silicon Valley Programme to drive Africa’s tech future.
Nigerian students Paul Dominion Ladi, Theodora Ngozi Egbunike, Stanley Chidubem Anigbogu, Barisua Nsaanee, and Zaki Asen were among 14 outstanding changemakers from the African Leadership University (ALU) who recently participated in the prestigious 2025 Silicon Valley Global Leadership Programme—a month-long immersion designed to equip Africa’s next-generation innovators with leadership and technology skills.
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Hosted at Stanford University and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, the fourth edition of the programme connected ALU students with leading Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, engineers, and investors to explore global trends in AI, sustainability, digital equity, and tech-driven entrepreneurship.
Meet the Nigerian Innovators
- Paul Dominion Ladi, CEO of LadX, is building a parcel delivery platform aiming to create 50,000 jobs across Africa.
- Theodora Ngozi Egbunike, a software engineer and founder of Swift Haven, is developing digital platforms that promote menstrual health and empower women.
- Stanley Chidubem Anigbogu, founder of LightEd, is turning plastic waste into solar-powered energy solutions that have reached over 30,000 people.
- Barisua Nsaanee, a neuroscience researcher, contributes to the African Brain Data Network to advance ethical neuroscience and data governance.
- Zaki Asen, founder of AGLSIA, is catalyzing high-impact collaborations among policymakers, investors, and global leaders to scale Africa’s innovation economy.
The cohort lived in San Francisco and Los Angeles, attending fireside chats, workshops, and tech immersion sessions at Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and Universal Studios. They also joined themed leadership discussions at the Claremont Country Club and engaged in AI and startup IP sessions at UC Berkeley with experts such as Matt Rapoport, Executive Director at Wells Fargo.
Each student was paired with a Silicon Valley mentor to foster strategic partnerships and deepen industry connections. The programme emphasized real-world innovation, with seminars and generative-AI workshops held at the Carnegie Foundation.
A Platform for Africa’s Tech Transformation
According to Stanley Anigbogu, “This opportunity allowed us to sharpen our ideas, gain new insights, and build networks to scale our impact in Nigeria and beyond.”
ALU CEO Veda Sunassee added, “Africa will connect 500 million more users and unlock $170 billion in GDP by 2030. Our Silicon Valley programme prepares young Africans to drive this transformation by immersing them in frontier innovation.”
This initiative is part of ALU’s broader goal to train three million entrepreneurial African leaders by 2035. To date, ALU alumni have launched over 340 ventures, secured $141 million in funding, and created 52,000 jobs.
The programme highlights growing interest from global tech giants in Africa’s digital future. Companies like Google (with its AI lab in Ghana) and IBM (with R&D in Kenya and South Africa) are tapping into Africa’s talent and building ethical, scalable solutions for the global market.
This year’s cohort also included emerging leaders from Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and South Sudan, representing diverse impact areas including health, clean energy, and education. Other participants included Audry Ashleen Chivanga, Hakim Nakaana Kakooza, Branice Kazira Otiende, Yvone Khavesta, Don Daniel Mikenze, Sarabel Akinyi Odero, Maliha Mehboob Sumar, Oliver Itangisha, and Lavender Birike Otieno.
As Africa’s innovation ecosystem continues to gain global recognition, programmes like ALU’s Silicon Valley initiative are helping bridge the global knowledge divide—preparing a new generation of leaders to shape the continent’s digital future.
