Uzemi Leadership Summit | Uzemi Empowerment Initiative

Uzemi 4.0 Annual Summit

Stewarding Africa's Future: Women Leading the AI Generation

Uzemi was founded in 2023 by Mrs. Olatomiwa Williams. It is a non-profit working to raise women's representation in African technology leadership by 20% by 2030. The Uzemi Leadership Summit is our main annual event, where women in tech learn, connect, and move into decision-making roles.

This year we go past digital literacy and into executive leadership in the age of AI . Join us on Saturday, 21 November 2026 at The Resource Centre, Ebutte-Ikorodu, Lagos, for the Agentathon finals showcase, practical AI tools, mentorship and honest conversations on leadership.

Uzemi Leadership Summit 2026 flyer: Stewarding Africa's AI Future, Saturday 21 November 2026, The Resource Centre, Ebutte-Ikorodu, Lagos

The Theme & The Place

Why "Women Leading the AI Generation", and why Ikorodu

Stewarding, not just using

AI is already changing how governments, businesses, and everyday life work across Africa, not something waiting in the future. Used without clear ethics, it can widen gaps that already exist. We chose the word "Stewarding" on purpose: leadership here means more than knowing the tools. It takes character, integrity, sound judgment, and responsibility.

Uzemi 4.0 trains African women to help lead this shift in technology. Through practical AI tools, mentorship, and real cases, they build the skills and confidence to take on decision-making roles.

Democratizing institutional access

A core part of what Uzemi believes is that where you live should not set a limit on how far you go in your career . Lagos tech has stayed clustered in its expensive coastal and central districts, Victoria Island, Ikoyi, and Ikeja, which quietly shuts out many capable young women who live elsewhere.

We hold our conference in Ikorodu because opportunity should not be tied to a handful of expensive neighbourhoods. Ikorodu is full of ambitious young women who deserve the same access to good conversations, strong role models, and real chances to grow.

Core Summit Objectives

What Uzemi 4.0 is built to deliver

Technical Capability & AI Integration

Equip African women with practical AI skills and the confidence to take on leadership roles, so what they learn applies directly in a job market that is quickly automating.

Mindset Transformation & Bias Mitigation

Build a leadership mindset through storytelling, mentorship, and honest conversations that push back on the bias and stereotypes that keep women out of leadership.

Institutional Sustainability & Cultural Shift

Keep the Uzemi community going with new relationships, working partnerships, and support that lasts well after the event, so gender equality in technology becomes the norm rather than the exception.

Who Should Attend

Four tracks, matched to your career stage

Uzemi 4.0 splits into focused breakout tracks so each attendee gets something useful for where they are.

This track is for undergraduates who want a real technical starting point, honest guidance on where a career in tech actually goes, and the confidence to walk into a room and stay. You'll sit in sessions built around the AI skills employers are already asking for. Working professionals walk you through what a first year in tech really looks like, so you leave with a plan instead of a vague direction. Uzemi keeps in touch after the Summit too, through mentorship and a community that has your back as you apply for your first roles.

This track is for interns and early-career specialists working past imposter syndrome, picking up AI tools that make their work sharper, and eyeing the move into mid-tier management. Sessions focus on the specific moment you're in: proving your worth on a team, negotiating for the role you actually want, and getting comfortable with the tools reshaping the job. You'll hear from women who made this same jump a few years ago. By the end, you should have a clearer sense of what mid-tier management takes and whether it's the path you want.

This track is for established team leads and technical directors already living inside corporate governance, product lifecycles, and the policy decisions that shape an institution's culture. It's built for the decisions that get harder as you rise. How do you write policy that protects your team, or manage AI adoption without losing sight of your people? Sessions lean on case studies from Nigerian and pan-African institutions, and you'll connect with peers facing the same governance questions inside their own organisations.

This track is for the builders, startup founders, and ecosystem innovators using lean tech stacks to scale a business and go after venture capital. Expect direct conversations about the parts of fundraising and scaling that rarely get said out loud, especially for African women pitching to rooms that don't look like them. You'll leave with practical frameworks for building lean with AI tools when you don't yet have a big team. Founders who have raised capital and built through the hard years will be in the room, ready to talk honestly about what worked and what nearly broke them.

Past Institution Speakers

Learn from those at the peak

Since it started, the Uzemi Annual Conference has brought in leaders from big companies, government, and international development.

Funke Opeke

Founder, MainOne

Rachel Adesina

Chief Information Officer, First Bank

Olatunbosun Alake

Hon. Commissioner for Science & Technology, Lagos State

Mobolaji Ogunlende

Hon. Commissioner for Youth & Social Development, Lagos State

William Tsuma

Chief Innovation Officer, UNDP Nigeria

Kennise Hill

Former Commercial Executive, U.S. Dept. of State, US Consulate

Iyinoluwa Aboyeji

Co-Founder, Andela

Folashade Femi Lawal

Country Manager, MasterCard West Africa

Shoyinka Shodunke

Former CIO, MTN Foundation

Obi Asika

Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture

Ifeyinwa Kojo

CEO, HPE Nigeria

Dr. Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji

Founder & CEO, Rise Networks

Jacqueline Ekwueme

Principal PM Manager, Microsoft Kenya

Sandra Adebayo

Head of Marketing, FinTribe

Azeez Omosun

Managing Consultant, Collavare Solutions

When & Where

Join us in person or online

Saturday, 21 November 2026

The Agentathon finals showcase, practical AI tools, mentorship, and honest conversations on leadership.

The Resource Centre, Ebutte-Ikorodu

5, Badru Kasim Ajanaku Street, Ebutte-Ikorodu, Lagos. We chose it on purpose, to bring opportunities to talented young women outside Lagos' main business districts.

Be Part of Uzemi 4.0

Steward Africa's AI future with us

Register now to secure your place at the summit. We'll share programme details, speaker announcements, and access links as they're confirmed.

Get in Touch

Questions about the Summit?

Call

+234 802 271 4152
+234 906 154 2580

Email

Uzemiafrica@uzemi.org
Esther.Ogunbanke@uzemi.org

Website

www.uzemi.org