( ENSPIRE Business ) Afrobeat to AI: Nigerians Dominate at AfroTech 2024
Guest Contributor: Chaste Inegbedion
As the plane descended into Houston, I felt a familiar buzz—a mixture of anticipation, excitement, and sheer awe. This was my third time attending AfroTech, the world’s largest tech conference for Black professionals, but the stakes felt higher this year. With its dynamic energy and rich cultural mosaic, Houston was making its debut as the conference’s host city, and the turnout was staggering—over 37,000 participants, each representing a piece of the vast tapestry of Black excellence.
Though I didn’t grace the stage as a speaker this year, a title I proudly held last year, my media accreditation offered a unique vantage point. AfroTech was more than a conference; it was a celebration, a movement, and a powerful platform to tell stories, including the inspiring narratives of Nigerians making giant strides in tech. Nigeria’s contributions were loud, proud, and unmistakable, whether it was the next-gen entrepreneurs, seasoned professionals landing major roles or cultural luminaries.
A City Ready for the Future
Houston provided the perfect backdrop for AfroTech, a city synonymous with innovation and trailblazers. Houston embodies the same spirit of excellence and forward-thinking that AfroTech champions. The conference, especially the Global Black HP Business Resource Group Event in collaboration with the SAiD Institute (Society for Africans in Diaspora), felt this energy. Hakeem Subair, founder of 1 Million Teachers, led a celebration of African heritage at the event. The event featured music, art, and thought-provoking panel discussions that showcased the richness of the culture and the power of community. The Ubuntu Dinner offered an intimate space for networking, while the “A Night in Africa” experience transported attendees into a vibrant celebration of culture. It was clear that the heart of AfroTech lay not just in the groundbreaking innovations on display but in the powerful connections and shared cultural pride among attendees.
The Intersection of Innovation and Representation
Representation is not just a checkbox. It’s a symbol of boundless potential. This truth was brought to life in the pre-conference spotlight moments that awakened me. One such moment came from Eniola Shokunbi, a middle schooler who secured a staggering $11.5 million for an air filtration system designed to address the challenges brought on by the pandemic.
Another standout story came from Chinaza Dibia, a PhD candidate from the University of Toronto who is pioneering non-invasive gene therapy to combat Alzheimer’s disease. Alongside Shokunbi, Dibia represents a new generation of Nigerian innovators who are not just participating in global conversations but leading them, breaking barriers, and redefining what’s possible.
Osazomon Imarenezor also secured a spot in Techstars Tulsa’s accelerator program, landing $120,000 in funding for her AI-powered skincare startup. These extraordinary individuals are the driving force that inspired me to attend the conference, showing us all the power of dreams fueled by resilience, creativity, and unwavering determination. These stories are the heartbeat of AfroTech.
Recruiting the Future
The career fair at AfroTech was a spectacle to behold—lines snaking around booths, towering banners for companies like Meta, Netflix, Nvidia, and Google, and a palpable buzz of ambition. Here, the dreamers met the gatekeepers of opportunity. Two Nigerian powerhouses, Haruna Ogweda and Gbenga Akingbulere, stood out. Graduates of the University of Lagos and Oklahoma State University, respectively, uploaded their resumes to the AfroTech portal last year and left the conference with offers from Microsoft and Palo Alto Networks. Stories like theirs highlight the transformative power of AfroTech—not just in landing jobs but in proving that Black talent is exceptionally vast.
This year’s BLCK VC Pitch Competition was a masterclass in innovation. Olaoluwa Ogundeji, the founder of Mimrr, whose AI-powered tools tackle developer productivity, won $5,000, a third-place prize, and an all-access pass to the conference. Olaoluwa demonstrated the brilliance and potential of African entrepreneurs on a global stage.
A Breakthrough in Health Tech and AFROTECH™ AI Hackathon Winner
Increase Divine-Wisdom, hailing from Nigeria, made history as the first-place winner of the 2024 AfroTech™ AI Hackathon with his innovative health management app, designed for individuals living with chronic conditions. The app empowers users to track symptoms, mood, and recovery tasks, providing a user-friendly tool for managing long-term health challenges. Increase, who personally battles chronic inflammatory response syndrome, created the app with a deep understanding of the needs of those in similar situations.
With DevOps, CI/CD, machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), and mobile development expertise, Increase oversees projects from concept to delivery, utilizing cutting-edge tools to create scalable, impactful products. His victory at the Hackathon underscores his technical prowess and commitment to making a meaningful difference in the healthcare space.
As the first-place winner, Increase received a $7,500 cash prize, up to $5,000 in team travel reimbursement for the conference, a complimentary all-access ticket, a post-event editorial feature, and a free AfroTech™ Insider Membership. His achievement highlights the potential for diverse voices in tech to drive impactful innovation, and his story serves as an inspiring example of using technology to solve real-world problems.
Hosted on DevPost, the AfroTech™ AI Hackathon provided developers, coders, and technologists a platform to collaborate and innovate. Contestants were challenged to create or enhance software applications that leveraged GPT models from OpenAI or Google Gemini technologies, addressing critical areas such as health and medical solutions, sustainability, cybersecurity, and workforce development. Increase’s win made him a tech innovator and highlighted the immense potential within Africa’s growing tech ecosystem.
The Nigerian Spirit in Full Force
Nigerians didn’t just show up—they dominated. The Future 50 list featured heavyweights like Adeyemi Ajao, co-founder of Base10 Partners, and Jessica O. Matthews, founder of Uncharted. Matthews’ path from inventing an energy-generating soccer ball at 19 to founding a company transforming smart city infrastructure is legendary.
Another standout, Olajuwon Ajanaku, founder of East Side Golf, is rewriting the narrative of golf with his streetwear-inspired apparel. From being asked to leave a country club for wearing joggers to partnering with Mercedes-Benz and PGA, Ajanaku is proof that Black innovation transcends industries.
Meanwhile, Layo George is a registered nurse and entrepreneur focusing on population health and equity. She is the founder and CEO of Wolomi, a maternal health startup supporting women of colour during their perinatal periods. George leads a culturally competent team to address the maternal health crisis. Previously, she led healthcare centres through practice transformation and served on the Board of Unity Healthcare.
Everyone at AfroTech 2024 seemed to be chasing a common dream: the promise of a stable and fulfilling tomorrow. However, how they intended to reach that goal varied widely—from groundbreaking innovation to redefining their creativity journeys.
A Reflection on Culture and Community
AfroTech is more than just panels and product demos—it’s a celebration of Black brilliance and a space for collective growth. Sitting through different sessions, I felt deeply connected to the stories shared, especially those from my fellow Nigerians. The expo hall was equally inspiring, where I experienced the soulful resonance of Yvonne Orji‘s book “Bamboozled by Jesus.” Listening to testimonies of how her words have transformed lives and hearing people share plans to gift the book to loved ones was a powerful reminder of the unmatched impact of the written word.
The conference was a symphony of laughs, lessons, and legacy—a reminder that the future isn’t just about technology but the people shaping it.
As I boarded my flight back, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d been part of something historic. To all the dreamers, doers, and disruptors who graced Houston this year, thank you for showing the world what Black excellence looks like.
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