Talks & conferences
Selected invited talks, guest lectures and conference papers, listed by year, most recent first.
Invited talks, lectures & keynotes
2026
- Maiden Annual Conference of the Academy for Transformative Leadership, Wigston, UK. “Called to Build: Leadership, Service and Social Renewal” (Academy for Transformative Leadership)
- BAL Faculty Research Conference, De Montfort University — 50th Anniversary of the Business School. “AI adoption in the margins: evidence from MSEs in Lagos and Abuja”
- DMU Responsible AI (RAI) Summit, De Montfort University. “Leading Meaningful, Responsible AI Transformation”
- NigeriaLICS Webinar Series (online). “Entrepreneurship education for economic development” (NigeriaLICS)
- Digital Transformation in Industry, Government, Education and Society (DIGEST) Conference, Sheffield Hallam University. Track Chair: “Reclaiming Trust: Building Safe, Inclusive and Resilient Societies in the Age of Digital Disruption”
- CABS Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Conference 2026, Manchester. “Responsible use of generative AI to support student research in taught postgraduate programmes” (Chartered Association of Business Schools)
- AfricaLICS Research Coordination Areas (RCAs) Research Workshop, Nairobi (AfricaLICS Secretariat)
- EASTECO STI Conference, Kigali. “Vision for Open Research in Africa” (East African Science and Technology Commission)
- Commonwealth Scholarship Commission Conference “Connect and Collaborate”, London. “Social Entrepreneurship for Inclusive Growth”
2025
- Science Forum South Africa 2025 (hybrid). “Measuring What Matters: Innovation in Africa’s Informal Sector” (Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators, CeSTII)
- Ife Institute of Advanced Studies Science Institute, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria (hybrid). “Co-creation of Problem Statements and Solution Pathways”
- UN Inter-Agency Task Team (IATT) global training programme on STI policy for the SDGs (online). “STI Measurement and Challenges in Africa” (UNU-MERIT, UNESCO, UNCTAD, UNIDO, UNEP, European Commission and the University of Sussex)
- Digital Transformation in Industry, Government, Education and Society (DIGEST) Conference, Sheffield Hallam University. Session Chair: “AI in Education in the Global South”
- International Conference on Social and Educational Sciences, Muş Alparslan University, Türkiye. “The Role of Generative AI in the Future of Higher Education”
- International Guest Lecture (online). “Technology, Innovation and Sustainable Development” (invited by Universitas Katolik Parahyangan, UNPAR, Indonesia)
- International Workshop, Ankara Social Sciences University (online). “The Future of Higher Education with Generative AI”
- International Workshop, University of Ibadan School of Business. “How to develop and deliver effective entrepreneurship education” (British Academy–funded)
- International Workshop, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. Research overview presentation (British Academy–funded)
- Collaborative webinar (online). “Can Tertiary Education Really Power Enterprise and Skills for Africa?” (INASP, Lagos Business School and the Commonwealth Association of Graduate Employers)
- BAL Faculty Research and Enterprise Conference, De Montfort University. “Artificial intelligence in the informal economy: game changer for micro-entrepreneurs?”
2024
- Africa Industrialization Week 2024, African Union Headquarters, Addis Ababa. Independent Strategic Evaluation of IDDA III, presented to the AU Specialized Technical Committee on Economic Integration, Trade, Tourism and Industry
- Science Summit at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA79) (online). “Are we using the right metrics? Towards a research agenda for innovation measurement in Africa” (NACETEM, CeSTII, AUDA-NEPAD and UNU-MERIT)
- Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Week with Nigeria STI Experts in the Diaspora (hybrid). “Technology Development and Transfer for STI and Renewable Energy in Nigeria” (Federal Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Abuja)
- Khalifa Isyaku Rabiu University (KHAIRUN) Monthly Seminar, Kano, Nigeria (hybrid). “Generative AI in Higher Education: Innovative Strategies for Teaching and Learning”
- University of Ilorin Faculty of Education International Conference (hybrid). “Entrepreneurship that counts: Fostering growth while preventing harm”
- British Academy Early Career Researchers Network, London. Panel: “Methods in interdisciplinary research”
- AIA Colloquium, Bonn. “The political economy of Chinese investments in Africa” (Academy of International Affairs)
- Africalics Webinar (online). “Are we using the right metrics? Towards a research and theoretical agenda for innovation measurement in Africa” (Africalics Secretariat)
- Open Research Week 2024 (online). “Dismantling the Helicopter: Open Data as a Pathway to Overcoming Helicopter Science” (De Montfort University, University of Leicester and Loughborough University; 233 attendees from 82 institutions in 10 countries)
2023
- International Growth Centre (IGC)/Economic Growth Centre (EGC) Conference on Firms, Trade and Development, London School of Economics
- British Academy of Management Conference 2023, University of Sussex. “‘Frenemy’ of progress? Investigation of the disruptive impacts of generative pre-trained transformers (GPT) on learning and assessment in higher education”
- 9th AfricaLics PhD Academy on Innovation and Competence Building Systems, Johannesburg/Online (AfricaLics Network)
- GIZ Exchange Session on Industrialization and AfCFTA (online). “Policy lessons from the review of the Accelerated Industrial Development of Africa (AIDA) Strategy and Plan of Action”
- BAL Faculty Research Conference, De Montfort University — Inclusive Economies Track. “Impact of Entrepreneurship Education on the Entrepreneurial Attitude of Young Nigerians” — Best Paper Award
2022
- Obafemi Awolowo University Faculty of Technology Annual Conference (OAUTek), Ile-Ife, Nigeria. “Achieving Food Security in Nigeria through Value-Added Agriculture”
- Africa Day Annual International Conference on Precision Citizen Participation, Shanghai, China. “Poverty Alleviation in Africa through Entrepreneurship, Innovation and AfCFTA” (Organisation of African Academic Doctors)
- Entrepreneurship Policy Course for African Policymakers (Innovation for Policy Foundation)
- AfricaLics Conference, University of Yaoundé II, Cameroon
2021
- Covenant University International Conference on Entrepreneurship, Ota, Nigeria
2018
- Africa Talks Jobs Dialogue on Youth Entrepreneurship Promotion, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (NEPAD and GIZ)
2017
- UN High-level Study Visit on Science, Technology and Innovation for the SDGs, Shanghai, China
2015
- Globelics Academy, University of Tampere, Finland. “The Voyage of the Beagle: An Evolutionary Journey in Innovation Research”
- Doctoral and Masters Academy, Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, South Africa
2014
- Research Seminar, United Nations University–MERIT, Maastricht, Netherlands. “External Knowledge and Innovation: Evidence from Nigerian Firms”
2012
- Research Seminar, Science and Technology Studies Group, University of Nottingham, UK. “Understanding Innovation through Systems”
Conference papers
2023
- 1st Nigerialics Conference, Lagos, Nigeria. Four papers presented: business incubators in Africa; technology transfer and R&D commercialisation in Nigerian research institutions; measuring innovation in the Nigerian informal sector; and COVID-19 and youth entrepreneurial development in Nigeria (a gender perspective)
2022
- 15th Africalics Conference, Yaoundé, Cameroon. “Business incubators and entrepreneurship development in Africa’s innovation systems: a bibliometric review”
2021
- 17th Globelics International Conference, Costa Rica. “Doing Research about Research: What Local Analysis of Research Systems can tell us about the State of Social Sciences in Developing Countries”
2019
- 19th Global Development Conference, Bonn, Germany. “Doing Research about Research: What Local Analysis of Research Systems can tell us about the State of Social Sciences in Developing Countries”
- Development Studies Association (DSA) Conference, Milton Keynes, UK. “SME participation in GVCs and inclusive development: a conceptual framework”
2018
- 16th Globelics Conference, Accra, Ghana. “‘Frenemies’ of Innovation: The Role of Coopetition in Service Innovation in Nigeria”
- Development Studies Association (DSA) Conference, Manchester, UK. Two papers: spiritual capital, entrepreneurial resilience and firm-level performance in turbulent environments; and gender inequality in entrepreneurship beneath the frontier
2017
- UN High-level Seminar on Science, Technology, Innovation and the Sustainable Development Goals, Shanghai, China. “Connecting Users and Providers of STI through Online Mechanism: National Perspectives (Nigeria)”
- 3rd Africalics Conference, Oran, Algeria. “Human Capital, Social Capabilities and Economic Growth”
2016
- 16th Conference of the International Schumpeter Society, Montreal, Canada. “The supply of high-quality entrepreneurs in developing countries: evidence from Nigeria”
2015
- 2nd AfricaLics Conference, Kigali, Rwanda. “How innovation conditions the search for external knowledge: a study of Nigerian firms”
- Workshop on Economics of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Trier, Germany. “The role of industry and economic context in open innovation: evidence from Nigeria”
2014
- Private Enterprise Development in Low-income Countries (PEDL) Research Workshop, Warwick and London, UK. Two papers: creating a micro-level dataset on innovation in Nigeria; and the role of industry and economic context in open innovation
- 12th GLOBELICS Conference, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Two papers: network portfolio size and innovation performance; and an absorptive capacity perspective of partner selection in innovation networks
- Copenhagen Conference on Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Denmark. “The More the Merrier? Network Portfolio Size and Innovation Performance”
2013
- 1st GENED Meeting, Bielefeld, Germany. “Emergence of innovation networks from bilateral R&D cooperation with endogenous absorptive capacity”
- EEA-ESEM Congress, Gothenburg, Sweden. “The emergence of innovation networks from bilateral R&D cooperation with endogenous absorptive capacity”
2012
- 1st African Academy for Research Training on Innovation and Competence Building Systems (AfricaLics Academy), Nairobi, Kenya. “The More the Merrier? Network Portfolio Size and Innovation Performance”
- SPRU 18th DPhil Day, University of Sussex, UK. “Absorptive Capacity and Innovation: Revising the Theory”
- DRUID DIME Academy Conference, Cambridge, UK. “Firms’ Networking and Innovation Performance in Nigeria”
2011
- XXIII ISPIM Conference, Hamburg, Germany. “Firm-level openness and innovation performance in Nigeria: an empirical exploration”
- 7th Ph.D. School on Innovation and Economic Development (Globelics Academy), Tampere, Finland. “Absorptive Capacity and Network Dynamics in Developing Countries”
- DIME Final Conference, Maastricht, the Netherlands. “The Outcomes and the Drivers: Exploring how openness influences innovation in developing countries”
2010
- 1st Annual Global Conference on Entrepreneurship and Technology Innovation (AGCETI), Kanpur, India. “From Lab to Market: lessons for and from Asia on commercialising R&D outputs in Nigeria”
2009
- 6th National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE) Conference, California, USA. “Identifying Critical Issues in Student Entrepreneurship: Evidence from Nigeria”
2008
- African Entrepreneurship Seminar, Abuja, Nigeria. “Stimulating entrepreneurial behaviour among Nigerian Youth: the influence of entrepreneurial education”
- Science with Africa Conference, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. “On the link between STI & Development: What matters for African nations?”
- 1st Chike Okoli International Conference on Entrepreneurship, Awka, Nigeria. Two papers: determinants of entrepreneurial propensity of Nigerian university students; and gender effects on entrepreneurial behaviour of students
2007
- Workshop on Industrial Innovation and National Innovation Systems (NIS), Abuja, Nigeria. “How Capable are Manufacturing Firms in Nigeria to Innovate? Answers from an Industry-wide Survey”
- 1st Micro Evidence on Innovation in Developing Economies (MEIDE), Maastricht, the Netherlands. “Assessment of Innovation Capability in the Cable and Wire Manufacturing Industry in Nigeria: A Case Study Approach”