The University of Lagos has announced the launch of an Artificial Intelligence-themed University Innovation Pod (UNIPOD) on its campus. This is part of a network of 13 UNIPODs being set up across African countries by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
This UNIPOD aims to link research and product innovation while empowering the continent’s youth to spearhead its industrial progress.
Folashade Ogunwola, the university’s Vice Chancellor, revealed this during the recent UNDP public lecture and AI UniPOD groundbreaking ceremony at the institution’s Senate Building.
UniPODS is a multi-pronged initiative of the UNDP’s pan-African initiative, Timbuktoo, to encourage university students to engage in innovation and design thinking.
They focus on supporting and growing innovative, scalable, and impactful entrepreneurship by African young people. They rely on a springboard of partners who contribute meaningfully to building an African youth innovation and start-up ecosystem.
Other areas UniPods explores across Africa include agritech, health tech, greentech, trade tech, tourism tech, edtech, creatives, and smart cities.
In her opening remark, Ogunwola noted, “UniPOD aims to encourage students in universities to engage in innovation and design thinking. The multi-pronged project focuses on supporting and growing innovative, scalable, and impactful entrepreneurship by African young people, while relying on a springboard of partners who together will contribute meaningfully to building an African youth innovation and start-up ecosystem.”
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She described the UniPOD as a “living and breathing hub, where a community of dreamers, thinkers, and doers are united by a common passion: the pursuit of groundbreaking ideas and the relentless drive to turn them into reality.”
Speaking at the launch, Ahunna Eziakonwa, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP’s Assistant Administrator and Regional Director for Africa, said, “We must invest in the creative industry, in the development of music, fashion, movies, and creative entertainment generally and technology, thereby turning the wheel as an anchor in economic transformation.”
Eziakonwa emphasised that Nigeria will take Africa to the next level of innovation. UniLAG’s vice chancellor, earlier quoted, added, “Nigeria will always be the first in innovation and will be the anchor in economic transformation in Africa.”
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