Babcock to host global AI, innovation summit

Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, will tomorrow host a two-day global summit on artificial intelligence (AI) and innovation commercialisation.

The event, tagged: AI & Babcock Innovation Venture (BIV) Commercialisation Summit 2026, is scheduled for April 21 to 22 at the institution’s BUTH 600-seater auditorium.

The summit is expected to bring together technology leaders, innovators and policymakers from across the world to explore practical pathways for building, funding and scaling AI-driven enterprises in Africa.

Vice-Chancellor and Chief Host, Afolarin Olutunde Ojewole, said the initiative reflects the university’s commitment to developing a strong innovation ecosystem through the Babcock Innovation Venture (BIV).

He stressed the need to align technological advancement with human values.

“Before we can become better builders or entrepreneurs, we must first become better humans. Efficiency without transformation is just speed in the wrong direction,” he said.

Ojewole noted that the institution had made deliberate investments to bridge the gap between academic learning and the professional world, adding that the summit would equip participants with practical, 21st-century skills.

A key highlight of the summit, he said, is the planned operationalisation of the Babcock Innovation and Venture Centre, a commercialisation hub designed to transform research outputs into market-ready products.

“We want to put all these into the market so that researchers can begin to earn from their intellectual properties. This will further encourage productivity and reward for labour,” he added.

The Vice-Chancellor explained that the summit aligns with Federal Government efforts to reposition universities as centres for AI and innovation, noting that the institution is strengthening industry linkages through its Entrepreneurship Development Centre.

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He emphasised the growing importance of skills over academic certificates in today’s global economy.

“The world no longer rewards certificates but skills. Empowerment without business education is incomplete. Our innovators must be both technically proficient and commercially aware,” Ojewole said.

Programmes such as the “From Garage to Global” initiative, Digital Growth Workshop and the Babcock Innovative Enterprise Challenge (BEIC), he added, are already driving innovation within the university.

The event will feature the Minister of Innovation, Kingsley T. Udeh, as Guest of Honour, alongside a lineup of international experts, including Abdullah Alsalmani, Nissi Madu, Arvind Ravishunkar, Nicky Verd, Opa Peter Obadare, Bekere Amassoma, Folawemi Umunna, Charles Nnaji and Okikioluwa Onamade.

Attendance is free, and participants are expected to gain insights into leveraging AI for innovation and economic growth.