Contained in the AI and robotics analysis lab at UNILAG

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Dr. Chika Yinka-Banjo didn’t at all times dream of organising a man-made intelligence and robotics analysis lab. However on the College of Lagos, she has, since 2018, overseen a analysis lab fostering analysis and improvement (R&D) in AI and Robotics. She earned an undergraduate diploma in arithmetic and pc science from the Federal College of Know-how, Imo State in 1999, and pursued a grasp’s in pc science on the College of Port Harcourt having discovered her first diploma to be too theoretical. 

“You examine computer systems with out really touching a pc, however I nonetheless liked pc science as a result of that’s the place my ardour is,” she recalled.

The graduate diploma didn’t encourage any extra pleasure than her first diploma did, so she secured a full scholarship on the African Institute of Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) in South Africa for a second grasp’s program in mathematical sciences. After AIMS, she went for a Ph.D. in pc science at Stellenbosch College, one in every of South Africa’s prime universities, graduating in 2015 and promptly returning to Nigeria. “I consider I’ve one thing to offer to the youthful technology.” 

Returning and giving again

With a grant from the Worldwide Growth Analysis Centre (IDRC), Canada’s public establishment targeted on funding and empowering analysis in creating international locations, Dr. Yinka-Banjo arrange the Synthetic Intelligence and Analysis Lab (AIRLAB). 

It started in a small workplace on the College of Lagos’ Laptop Science Division and ultimately grew to become a part of a workspace on the Central Analysis Laboratory. The imaginative and prescient is straightforward: to be a world-renowned establishment that gives an setting for fostering R&D in AI and robotics.

Since 2018, the lab has sponsored college students to nationwide and worldwide robotics competitions, such because the First Tech Problem, and received some awards. They organise free summer season applications for youngsters to develop key expertise wanted to discover robotics and AI functions. 

This 12 months, from July 21 to August 1, with funding from Massachusetts Institute of Know-how (MIT), the lab hosted the Lagos-based model of NaijaCoder, an intensive coaching program for secondary faculty college students. 

“We aren’t simply attempting to coach college students to turn into software program engineers,” mentioned Victory Yinka-Banjo, one of many program organisers and a current MIT graduate. “The talents they’re getting right here could be helpful within the context of analysis, science, and computation. You’ll be able to’t do AI with out these proper now.”

Entry to funding and analysis priorities

Past holding coaching applications for youthful kids, Dr. Yinka Banjo wish to focus extra on utilized analysis work to construct options for Nigeria and the broader African continent, however funding is scarce. Nearly all of the lab’s funders, she mentioned, are extra all in favour of extracurricular applications for youngsters and youthful college students. “I don’t know why, as a result of with all of the grant proposals we now have written, it’s the ones which have kids in them that get funding.”

However funding for extra research-focused work is vital to the success of labs like AIRLAB, which finally need to construct AI options that may be utilized domestically. This research-focused funding can be vital for nationwide objectives of world management “in harnessing the transformative energy of AI.”

“There’s no authorities serving to us. When you ask them, there’s no cash, and I can’t blame them as a result of they’ve cash marked up for various issues,” she mentioned. “The essence of this entire factor is that we exit to search for funds.”

In Q2 2025, the lab acquired funding from the IDRC and UK Overseas, Commonwealth, and Growth Workplace to ascertain a brand new analysis initiative targeted on AI for training. The principle objective is to construct AI-powered studying assistants for low-connectivity, underserved studying environments on the continent. 

Prior analysis tasks within the lab, which targeted on constructing AI functions in agriculture and healthcare, have largely been sponsored by international international locations. This exterior funding helps the lab entry the expertise to help its broader objectives, a problem the lab has confronted.

“People who find themselves good are getting funding to exit,” Dr. Yinka-Banjo talked about. “So after we need to do analysis, we battle.” Since 2021, Nigerian college students have more and more regarded overseas for greater training, with the US and Canada rising as prime locations. In Canada, functions from Nigerian college students climbed to about 46,000 in 2023, a 260% improve from 2021. 

“The nice factor is that individuals are conscious that Nigerians are sensible. Since funding is what makes the sensible ones keep, we began writing for analysis grants,” she added. 

The expertise selecting to remain

Mariam Muhammed was just lately chosen to hitch the AIRLAB as a Ph.D. candidate on the AI for Schooling challenge. After ending her grasp’s in pc science in 2024 on the College of Lagos, she started occupied with her subsequent steps. 

“I used to be contemplating exterior alternatives, I’d even began to organize some functions,” she mentioned. “Instantly I noticed this chance, I ended as a result of it felt like this was simply what I wished to do.”

Earlier than becoming a member of, Muhammed acquired an undergraduate diploma in electrical engineering and a postgraduate diploma in training, seven years later. She spent most of her time after faculty within the business, creating software program for international startups constructing AI-supported personalised studying options in markets just like the US. Now, she needs to pursue analysis and create actually contextual AI options for Nigerians and Africans. 

The exterior funding backing the challenge offers her the boldness that extra stakeholders can maintain the lab accountable on analysis outcomes, which is kind of completely different from conventional Ph.D. applications in Nigeria. 

“For me, the funding is a sign round construction,” she mentioned. “I’d say in Nigeria, there aren’t as many funded Ph.D. alternatives if you happen to evaluate them to extra developed international locations.”

Past the Ph.D. college students, the lab additionally helps youthful undergraduate college students trying to construct private tasks within the area of AI & Robotics. 

Past the lecture room

Owolala Olaoluwasubomi, a fourth-year mechanical engineering undergraduate scholar at UNILAG, joined the lab as an intern in April. He’s finishing a compulsory six-month industrial coaching program. 

“I didn’t need someplace the place I used to be simply going to work, I wished to go someplace the place I’ll be capable of be taught and develop,” he mentioned. “On the lab, you’re not simply working for them, you might be additionally engaged on your self. You get to expertise extra than simply being an everyday scholar who simply goes to class.” 

His six months within the lab will culminate in a private challenge of curiosity.  He plans to construct a robotic arm that may be operated remotely. In the end, he hopes to pursue graduate research exterior the nation to develop his analysis pursuits additional. 

“In Nigeria right now, we’re not that superior within the area of robotics and AI analysis. So domestically, I don’t assume there are as many alternatives as there are exterior the nation simply due to the place we’re when it comes to technological development,” he defined. 

Trying ahead

Proper now, Nigerian researchers on the bottom, like Dr. Yinka-Banjo, are nonetheless struggling to safe the mandatory authorities help to maintain and provoke impactful AI analysis tasks. The hole between rhetoric about AI regional or international domination and out there sources is obvious when in comparison with friends. Think about Egypt the place the federal government has been investing in establishing the nation as a ‘regional analysis cooperation centre’. The most recent AI technique for 2025-2030 now seeks to extend output to six,000 AI publications per 12 months. This emphasis on analysis has yielded some outcomes, because the nation now has the top-ranked college for AI in Africa. South Africa additionally dominates the record with six of its universities rating within the prime 10.  The best-ranking Nigerian college is the College of Ibadan, which is quantity 50 in Africa. UNILAG, the place AIRLAB resides, ranks 74th. 

These two international locations that select to put money into AI analysis have additionally seen a number of the largest funding rounds for AI startups, with Egyptian-founded AI-focused startups taking the lead as effectively. Nonetheless, the analysis that AIRLAB facilitates, although restricted, can significantly affect the broader AI ecosystem.

“A number of the folks in these labs someday will come out and say they need to begin their very own firm,“ mentioned Victor Famubode, an AI Coverage professional. “The milestone they’ve achieved of their analysis, they might use it to develop a product that may serve the market.” 

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