Mrs Abokede attended Mohammed Bakanu Primary School, Sokoto, after which she proceeded to the Federal Government College, Sokoto. Her quest for knowledge which was not common to ladies of her age at that time earned her an admission into the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University Zaria to study Chemistry. She graduated with second class upper division with many scholarship awards. Funmi, as she was fondly called, did not stop at that, she enrolled with the Lagos City Computer College, Lagos, where she acquired a Diploma Certificate in Computer Studies. She has attended many international training programmes in Kenya, Zambia, South Africa, Netherlands, and Japan to mention but a few. All these trainings were sponsored by scholarship, such as the Joint Japan/ World Bank Graduate Scholarship for her Master degree in Development studies (Major in Women, Gender, and Development with Minor in Poverty studies and Policy Analysis) from The Netherlands.
Mrs Abokede is dynamic. She has worked as a Chemist with SGS International, an Inspection services company in Lagos. She also served the company as a Credit Controller before joining the Non-Governmental world where she rose to the position of Programme Director. She is a great mobilizer and social crusader. She currently works as the General Manager of Osun Agency for Community and Social Development (Osun CSDP), State of Osun. Amongst her volunteer work include: Campaign against Early Marriages for Female children in Abaji, Abuja; Female Education Campaign in Sokoto Rural Areas; Enterprise Development, Women’s Right Advocacy and Civic Education; Democracy and Governance etc. Mrs Abokede is not only a guru in the secular world she is zealous for God, having served as a Fellowship Treasurer, Prayer Worrior, Children Teacher and Evangelist. She is happily married and blessed with children.
Mike Adeyeye is a professor of Governance Studies at the Department of Local Government Studies, Faculty of Administration, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. He holds a PhD in Political Science. For more than three decades, he has been involved in teaching, research and consultancy services in and outside Nigeria. He has published widely and attended conferences locally and internationally on issues relating to rural-urban interface, decentralised governance, local institutions and traditional governance, public sector reform, e-governance and public policy management. An experienced public sector reform expert, he was a pioneer Secretary (political) to a Local government for about three (3) years, an appointive position. He is a member of Nigerian Political Science Association (NPSA) and International Political Science Association (IPSA). He was a former Deputy Director and Director of the Centre for Distance Learning, OAU, Ife, for about five years, and was involved in the development of curriculum and instructional materials in Open and Distance Education. His current interests are in decentralized governance, e-governance and equity aspects of public policy question.
Mr. Tomi Falase is an IT Professional with a B.Sc. in Computer Science, 10 years’ experience in providing IT Services, about 3 years providing Logistics services (Product Supply, Fleet logistics and Customer Service) to the business, and another 8 years generating value to the company in the acquisition and payables department. His main work experience (last 23 years) has been with Mobil Oil Nigeria (an Exxonmobil Subsidiary), a company well renowned for high ethical standards and integrity. Whilst his work experience earlier focused mainly in the provision of IT Infrastructure Services to the business, he has acquired a unique mix of knowledge and skills in other areas that include Leadership, Procurement, Management and Logistics. Tomi developed proficiency in general business management, Procurement and Logistics services, budget control, process implementations, project planning/ management and team building. He is a member of various clubs/society such as Ikoyi Club 1938, Yoruba Tennis Club, Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Catholic Friendly Society and Lagos Jetski Club. He is also the board Chairman of Lagos State Squash Association.
Helena Karsten is an associate professor in Information Systems at the Åbo Akademi University in Finland. She has previously held professorial and lecturer positions at University of Turku and University of Jyväskylä. She holds permanent visiting positions at the University of Jyväskylä and at the Aalto School of Economics and Business Administration. She has worked as visiting faculty at the University of Bath, UK; Griffith University, Australia; University of Hawaii, USA, and Hanken Business School, Finland. Her research interests include change processes, the interweaving of work and computers, the use of IT to support collaboration, and social theories informing theorizing in IS. She is also interested in environmental and social sustainability, refugees using ICT, and the position of women in computing professions. She has participated and led projects in curriculum development and educational program assessment. Over the years, she has been evaluating research proposals for EU and several European countries. She has over 60 publications in journals and conferences. She has participated in editing four books and one special issue of a journal. She is an associate editor for The Information Society and an editorial board member for Information Technology and People. She has written a book on cooperative learning for adults and another for beginning doctorate students in Information Systems. Helena Karsten has taught since 1977 at universities, as a consultant, in adult education, and in company in-house training. She comes from a family of teachers: her maternal grandfather was one of the first grade school teachers with university education in the country and her father’s grandmother was a traveling teacher in the countryside. Many of her cousins and one uncle worked as teachers in higher education.
Victor Mbarika is an American professor from Cameroon. He is the founder of The Information and Communications Technology (ICT) University. Professor Mbarika serves as the President, Board of Trustees of the ICT University. He is currently a full and endowed professor of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) at Southern University, USA. He is one of Africa’s voice and foremost experts on Information and communications technology.
He takes the lead in academic research on ICT implementation in Africa and has evolved a theoretically informed framework for understanding the diffusion, adoption, acceptance and use of ICTs in less-developed countries. He has published extensively on technology transfer frameworks and models in Sub-Saharan Africa in peer-reviewed journals which have enjoyed wide citation. He holds a Bachelors, Masters and Doctorate Degree in Management information system from U.S International University, Kenya, University of Illinois, Chicago, and Auburn University, USA, respectively. Mbarika is also the founder of the International Center for Information Technology and Development (ICITD), Southern University, Baton Rouge, which focuses on advancing IT training and development in Sub Saharan Africa especially on e-health, e-education and e-democracy. The center has won numerous research grants from National Science Foundation (NSF), NASA, KPMG, Microsoft, Fulbright, Fulbright-MCMC, the Louisiana Board of Regents and several other private and public donors. Mbarika’s other initiatives include The ICT for Africa conference series (ICT4 Africa), African Journal of Information Systems (AJIS), The ICT University Foundation and Cameroon Youths for Jesus (CYJ). Mbarika is a recipient of two lifetime achievement awards, for his “Outstanding contribution to computer science and telecommunications” and his “Contribution to ICT Research and Education”. He has also won the prestigious Fulbright grant to bring in and host scholars from developing nations at the ICITD.
Prof. Sunday O. Ojo holds B.Sc. Honours and PhD. degrees in Computer Science from the Universities of Ibadan and Glasgow, respectively. His academic career in a number of Universities spans over 35 years, in the field of Computing Science and Technology. He currently holds a position as a Research Professor in the Faculty of ICT, at the Tshwane University of Technology in Pretoria, South Africa. He previously served as the Executive Dean in the same faculty for a 5-year period. Prior to this he was a member of the pioneering team that established the Department of Computer Science at the University of Botswana and later rose to become the Head of the Department for a 6-year period. He was also Coordinator of Computer Science Department at the University of Ibadan. He has a wealth of experience in the teaching of under and post-graduate courses in the field of Computing Science and Technology, and in promoting several honours, masters and doctoral students’ dissertations and theses. He is also well published with extensive experience in sustained research and publications, in peer reviewed journals and conference proceedings, as well as books and chapters in books. His national and international professional services experience include serving as a consultant and resource person for several national and international bodies on ICT related projects, including. Botswana National Innovation Capability Database System, USAID Botswana Confederation of Commerce, Industry and Manpower Economic Research database system, Botswana National ICT Policy development, Commonwealth Network for Information Technology (COMNET-IT), ICT capacity building project for Commonwealth countries. Others are the Eurafrica-ICT Reference panel work on producing a manifesto for strategic EU-Africa partnership on ICT Research, and European Commission Scenarios for Research and Technology Development Cooperation with Europe Project.
Mr. Bode Opadokun is the Managing Director/CEO First Bank of Nigeria General Insurance. He is a consummate financial services professional with over 25 years of experience spanning underwriting, risk assessment, operations and marketing in the insurance sector. Prior to joining FBN General Insurance Limited, he was the Managing Director/CEO of Nigeria Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC). Within his first year of stewardship there, his astute business acumen helped the Company successfully overturn its loss position. He holds a master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the Delta State University, Abraka and is an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute (ACII), UK. He is an alumnus of the prestigious Lagos Business School (LBS), and also a Fellow and a member of the Governing Council of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN).
Prof. Isreal Olatunji Orubuloye (OON), a former Vice Chancellor of University of Ado-Ekiti (UNAD), studied at the University of Ibadan from 1969-1974 and the Australian National University from 1975-1978 where he obtained his B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph.D. respectively. He has taught Sociology and Demography for nearly 40 years in Nigeria and foreign Universities and visited 29 countries in Africa, Asia, Australia, United Kingdom, Europe, North America, South America and Latin America on study leave, study tours, conferences and workshops as well as seminars. A Sociologist of international repute, he has consulted for many national and international organizations on population and health related issues including United Nations (Population Division), the World Bank (Population Division), the Rockefeller Foundation, the World Health Organization (WHO), Battelle Memorial Institute, Washington, D.C., International Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP), the Swedish International Development Agency, David and Lucile Packard Foundation in the USA, the International Research Centre for Women, Washington D.C. USA.He has received and managed research grants running to several thousands of dollars from some of these organizations. He was a lead Consultant to the Federal Ministry of Health on Behavioral Context of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria. He is a Fellow of Population Council in New York. He pioneered research on the Behavioral Context of HIV/AIDS in Africa. His publications, numbering well over 90 articles and books, have been cited in more than 200 places on the World Wide Web. He has a wide administrative experience in the University system spanning a period of three decades as Dean, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Acting Vice-Chancellor and finally Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ado-Ekiti (now Ekiti State University) where he retired in 2008.
Jamal Abu Rasheed is the Dean of the School of Business at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, Ohio. Prior to his current position, he served as the Dean of the Walker L. Cisler College of Business at Northern Michigan University from 2010-2013. He came to Northern Michigan University from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was a Professor of Economics and International Business, Chair of the Department of Economics and Human Resources, and served as the Director of the Center for International Business in the school’s Williams College of Business, winning numerous awards for teaching at the Executive MBA, MBA, and undergraduate level. In addition, he was the founding Executive Dean and the Dean of the College of Prince Mohammad Bin Salman College of Business and Entrepreneurship at King Abdullah Economic City in Saudi Arabia. Professor Rashed has served as a consultant on business accreditation in higher education, and has served as a professional consultant in forensic economics to major law firms in the states of Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. He has also served as an expert witness in the United States Federal, local and state courts. Dean Abu Rasheed has been a consultant to several corporations and government agencies and is active in the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business. Professor Abu Rasheed earned his Doctorate in Economics with focus on Financial Theory, International Trade and Finance and Labour Economics from Southern Methodist University, where he also completed a master’s degree in economics. He also holds a Master’s Degree in Economics from North Texas State (now University of North Texas). He has won numerous awards for his research and service during his career. His research focuses on economic development, international currency issues, the interplay between trade policy and unemployment, and labor economics.
Prof. Kolawole Raheem is Head of the Centre for School and Community Science and Technology Studies (SACOST) at the Institute for Educational Research and Innovation Studies (IERIS), University of Education, Winneba, Ghana. His special areas are Sustainable Development, Environmental Policy and Education. He also promotes Theatre for Development. He is the focal person of University of Education, Winneba, on the Shape Attitude Project and a technical adviser to Shape Attitude Ghana. Prof. Raheem holds a PhD in Social and Environmental Policy, Licentiate of Social Sciences and Masters in Society Planning and Environmental Sciences from the University of Jyväskylä in Finland. Prof. had all his high college and university education in Finland from 1975 to 1993. Prof. Raheem has been a researcher and lecturer in the universities in Africa and Europe for more than twenty years. He is very concerned about lack of discipline in schools and the communities in general. He promotes good African values and traditions. In 2000, he was Coordinator for “West African Clean Project”, Finland’s Svenska Marthaförbund (WanClean Project) in Ghana and Nigeria. He organised a Municipal and Hospital Waste Management Conference for local partners in Ghana and Nigeria. He also coordinated waste management project in Nigeria-Ghana, funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Finland. Between 2000 and 2003, he organised and co-ordinated the Peace Education Workshop for teachers and NGOs in West Africa (Benin Republic, Ghana and Nigeria), – PEWAC project in collaboration with Peace Education Institute, Helsinki, funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Finland.
Prof. Dayo Akinmoladun is a Professor in the Department of Physics and Technology at Bronx Community College, City University of New York, and Assistant Vice President at Quinebaug College of the State University of Connecticut, Willimantic, CT. He has worked at various capacities at Osun State University. In the Vice-Chancellors office as; Director of Special Duties, Director of International Affairs, Director Information and Telecommunication Management, Director of Academic Planning Unit, Director of Quality Assurance Unit, Director of Center for Teaching Excellence and Head of Department, Computer and Information Technology Department.
For over 15 years, he has been working in a multi-cultural institution with diverse ethnic and cultural faculty students’ body where he served four years as departmental deputy chairperson and Three years as Divisional Coordinator and Program Director and Dean. During this time he supervised faculty and staff and managed many budgets including an operating budget of $7.5million for the Science, Math and Technology Division. In addition, Dayo managed various programs with external funding agencies such as Department of Defense (DOD), National Science Foundation (NSF) and New York Education Department.
He had educational background in Engineering Technology, Educational Management and Administration with program development and extensive grant experience, coupled with familiarity with both the Nigerian and United States educational system. He is a member of professional societies such as Connecticut Teacher Association (TEAM); Professional Member, Technology Education Association (TEA), Association for the Advancement of Computer in Education (AACE), and fellow in American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), American Council of Education (ACE), National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) and National Council on Black American Affairs (NCBAA).
Olayele Adelakun is an Associate Professor of MIS at DePaul University Chicago, Illinois, College of Computing and Digital Media (CDM). His research focuses on IT Outsourcing, ERP systems implementation, and Information Systems Quality, IT Evaluation and Emotional Intelligence among IT Leaders. He has conducted studies in both medium sized companies and large multinational companies in Europe, Africa and the United States. He has chaired several academic and industry focus- conferences. He has also led several executive presentations. He has published over eighty articles in conferences, books and journals. He holds an M.S. in Information Processing Science from University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland and Ph.D. in Information Systems from the Turku School of Economics and Business Administration, Turku, Finland.
Dauda Tunde Fadeyi holds a B.Sc. Business Administration, M.Sc. in Community Development and M.Ed. in Business Education, all from the University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri USA and M.P.H. in Health Policy and Management, from the University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida USA. Fadeyi D. T. is presently an Immunization Analyst in Bureau of Immunization and Disease Control, Florida, State Department of Health. He served for over 12 years as Public Health Epidemiologist at the Bureau of Immunization, Provider Quality Assurance Unit of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. He has previously worked as Care Team Coordinator at the Hillsborough Kids, Inc. Tampa Florida; Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor at the Florida Department of Education, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Tampa Florida; Coordinator of Research Programs/Services at The Lawton and Rhea Chiles Center for Healthy Mothers and Babies, Tallahassee Florida; Children, Youth and Family Counselor at The Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services, Tampa, Florida; Case Manager at the New York City Human Resources Administration, Division of AIDS Services, NY and Research Associate at the Florida Atlantic University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He has professional affiliation with American Public Health Association and American College of Healthcare Executives.
Prof. Kah serves as founding Chairman of Zenith Bank-The Gambia. Currently, he serves as Vice President for Academic Affairs & Provost; Professor of IT &Computing at American University of Nigeria. He is a member of the Malabo Montpellier Panel and served as the 3rd Vice Chancellor of The University of The Gambia (UTG); Professor of IT & Communications and Overseer of the Gambia Teachers College. He was the 1st Gambian to lead the UTG and the longest serving; served as Vice Rector for Technology & Innovation and Founding Dean of the School of IT & Engineering at ADA University, Azerbaijan. Prof. Kah has held teaching and leadership positions in the U.S., Africa, Middle East and Eastern Europe. He was honoured to be a regular contributor of the Africa Module of the University of Cambridge’s Advanced Leadership (ALP) Program at the Judge Business School and served as an honorary Fellow at the Judge Business School and Cambridge’s Digital Innovation Center. He completed his BS., MS. and Ph.D. at the Stevens Institute of Technology, New Jersey, USA and also holds a Master of Science in Finance (Financial Engineering) from The George Washington University, Washington, DC. and a Postgraduate Diploma (DipSI) in Strategy and Innovation from University of Oxford’s Said Business School. He was honoured with a Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) by the University of The Gambia (UTG) in 2016.
He completed several Executive Education Programs at the University of Cambridge’s Judge Business School: Advanced Leadership (ALP) Program; Beyond Innovation: Business Models for Transformation & Competitive Advantage. At Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government: Transforming Leadership For 21 st Century Africa; at The AGA KHAN University’s Graduate School of Media & Communication: The Voice of Leadership, Inspiration, Influence & Impact. In Corporate Governance: The International Directors Program (IDP) and is an Internationally Certified Director- IDP-C, from INSEAD. He is a member of the Institute of Directors (IoD), London. UK.
Offiong Francis Ikpatt MD, PhD is an entrepreneur, Hematologist and Professor of clinical Pathology at a prestigious American university. His unique training across Africa, Europe and North America has contributed to his skills in building people across social and economic borders. He is committed towards building leaders and the community. As an educator and researcher, he has developed strategies to problem solving and effective personal/communal learning. His current projects include enhancing clinical laboratory practices in Africa, providing clean water in the developing countries and reducing menace of neoplasms. He is a member of the college of American Pathologist and American Society for Clinical Pathologist.
Prof. Yakubu Aboki Ochefu (FHSN) is an academic, University administrator and entrepreneur. He studied History at the University of Calabar and African Studies at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom. He started his teaching career at the University of Calabar before joining the Benue State University as pioneer staff. He held various positions in the University such as Head, History Department, Dean Students Affairs, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Director of Consultancy Services and Professor of Economic History and Development Studies. Between 2012 and 2017 he served as Vice-Chancellor at Kwararafa University, Wukari in Taraba State, Nigeria. Yakubu Ochefu has over 75 publications in journals, book chapters, full-length books and commissioned technical papers. He is a Fellow and former National President of the Historical Society of Nigeria, and Member Nigeria Academy of Letters. He is also a World Innovation Summit in Education (WISE) Leadership Fellow and recipient of the 2016 World Education Congress Award for Academic Leadership in Challenging Environments. In addition to his academic career, he has at various times consulted for the World Bank, UNDP, DFID, and IRI on Social, economic and political issues. He was a member of the Governance Reform Team of the Benue State Government from 2000 to 2005. He was a delegate to the 2014 National Conference representing Professional Associations. As an Information and Communications Consultant, Yakubu Ochefu was Chair of the Benue State Information Systems Committee and National Coordinator of the “Digital Bridge Initiative” one of the largest eEducation deployments ever in this country. As a part-time entrepreneur, he developed a number of businesses in Information Technology, Publishing, Renewable Energy and Waste-to-Wealth. He seats on the Board of a number of companies and non-governmental organisations.
Dr. Felix O. Okpe, Esq. is the managing partner of Felix Okpe & Associates, a global law firm with offices in Nigeria and the United States. Dr. Okpe earned law degrees from the University of Benin, Nigeria; Ohio State University, USA; Howard University School of Law, USA, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Law from the University of Aberdeen in the United Kingdom. Dr. Okpe who is licensed to practice law in Nigeria and the United States, also serve as a Law Professor at the Salmon P. Chase College of Law, Northern Kentucky, University, USA. Dr. Okpe was a senior lecturer at the Oba Erediauwa College of Law, Igbinedion University, Edo State, Nigeria. Dr. Okpe’s research and publications has promoted and brought awareness to considerations of economic development through harnessing international investment in agriculture, education, healthcare, oil and gas (with emphasis on local content), and community development. Dr. Okpe is a community leader and philanthropist. Dr. Okpe was recently honored with the traditional title of the Azanor’urhi of Agbon Kingdom, by HRM Ogunrimeme, Ukori 1, the Ovie of Agbon Kingdom. Dr. Okpe hasutilized the privilege of the honor as a call to service of his people and mankind in general. His community work include serving with organizations to facilitate and promote charitable causes in Africa, initiating economic development programs, and assisting with foreign direct investment initiatives in Africa to promote corporate social responsibility tailored towards rural community development. Dr. Okpe is married with children and enjoys spending time with his family and playing golf.
Professor Hettie Abimbola Soriyan, is a Professor of Computer Science and holds B.Sc. Computer Science with Economics, M.Sc. and PhD Computer Science from Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife. She has won several prestigious fellowships such as the Commonwealth and Ford Foundation Fellowships. In addition, she had held visiting academic positions at Cornel University, USA, University of Kupio (Now University of Eastern Finland), Finland and Bowen University, Iwo, Nigeria.
She is a member of several professional bodies, such as: Computer Association of Nigeria, Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria, International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP), International Society for Technology Assessment in Health, International Society for Technology Assessment in Health Care (ISAHC) and IOWA – Nigeria University Development Linkages Project.
She initiated a research group, the Health Informatics Research group with membership from the cognate departments in the University, namely Community Health, Dentistry, Nursing Science, Pharmacy & Computer Science. She still coordinates this high performing research network till date, which is an evidence of her ability to effectively lead and sustain such externally funded initiative.
In her research pursuit on Computer-based Information Systems, with specific focus on Health Care System Development and Management; Software Engineering Software- Techniques in Software Development and Usability, She initiated the first email link between Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex (OAUTHC) and the University of Kuopio, Finland, the first email link between NACETEM, OAU and CNUCE, Pisa, Italy. Other outstanding achievements of Professor Soriyan include: module developer, Nettel@Africa programme, Software development and implementation of MINPHIS at different Teaching Hospitals in Nigeria, coordinator of the Bowen SMART System Project Implementation, preparation of the blueprint for the establishment of Distance Learning at Bowen University.
Professor Soriyan has received research grants from the Academy of Finland, UNESCO, and European Union to execute projects on computer-based information systems in Nigeria and other parts of the world. She has over 70 publications to her credit. She has attended over 30 conferences mainly in Africa, Europe, America and Asia.
