Five Nigerian students from the African Leadership University (ALU)—Paul Dominion Ladi, Theodora Ngozi Egbunike, Stanley Chidubem Anigbogu, Barisua Nsaanee, and Zaki Asen—recently participated in the fourth annual Silicon Valley Global Leadership Programme. They were part of a larger group of 14 ALU students chosen for the transformative month-long experience, designed to cultivate entrepreneurial leadership and technological expertise.
Hosted at Stanford University and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, the program connects ALU students with leading innovators, founders, and thought leaders across Silicon Valley’s dynamic tech ecosystem.
Meet the Nigerian Innovators
Each of the Nigerian participants brings a unique vision for impact across Africa:
- Paul Dominion Ladi is the founder and CEO of LadX, a parcel delivery service aiming to create 50,000 jobs in Africa by building and scaling innovative businesses and improving connectivity and logistical services.
- Theodora Ngozi Egbunike, a Software Engineering Student and Social Entrepreneur, founded Swift Haven. Her organization develops digital platforms to promote menstrual health education and equitable opportunities for women across Africa.
- Stanley Chidubem Anigbogu is a creative technologist and founder/CEO of LightEd. He pioneers waste-to-energy solutions, converting plastic waste into solar-powered infrastructure that has already impacted over 30,000 people.
- Barisua Nsaanee, a neuroscience researcher and ALX Community Ambassador, contributes to the African Brain Data Network, advocating for FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) brain-data practices and fostering a vibrant ecosystem for young African neuroscience leaders.
- Zaki Asen is the founder of AGLSIA, a platform that facilitates high-impact collaborations among world leaders, investors, and policymakers to accelerate Africa’s innovation ecosystem and economic transformation.
Immersive Learning and Networking
In May, the students resided at Menlo College, experiencing life at the heart of San Francisco and Los Angeles. They engaged with top talent, including Sara Spangelo, CEO and Co-Founder of Swarm (SpaceX); Tim Knowles, President of the Carnegie Foundation; Asena McKeown, Stanford affiliate; and Nick McKeown, Founder of Nicira Networks. These experts led discussions, hosted socials, and delivered masterclasses in entrepreneurship and technology.
The program’s exciting schedule included innovative workshops and sessions delivered by the ALU Office of Entrepreneurship at the prestigious Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Students gained valuable insights into the cutting-edge world of tech through visits to giants like Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Coursera, X, and Universal Studios. They also participated in leadership sessions led by entrepreneurs and experts shaping the future of artificial intelligence, sustainability, and global policy.
Student Perspectives and Program Impact
Stanley Chidubem Anigbogu, an ALU Bachelor of Entrepreneurial Leadership student, expressed his gratitude: “Thank you to ALU and our partners at Stanford University and the Carnegie Foundation for this amazing opportunity. We were so thrilled to immerse ourselves in Silicon Valley’s innovation ecosystem and gain the skills, insights, and networks needed to accelerate our ventures and drive impact across Nigeria and beyond.”
A key component of the program was the pairing of each student with a personal mentor from Silicon Valley. Students also participated in critical networking sessions with professionals from Stanford, the Lucile Packard Foundation, and other leading global institutions, further growing their partnerships and expanding their networks.
Veda Sunassee, CEO of ALU, highlighted the program’s significance: “Projections suggest Africa is poised to connect another 500 million users through digital transformation and unlock an estimated $170 billion in GDP by 2030. In line with ALU’s mission to train the next leaders of Africa, we must cultivate leaders who understand both the scale and the impact of this shift. Underscoring our commitment to hands-on learning, our Silicon Valley Global Leadership Programme immerses students in the cutting-edge strategies and ethical frameworks needed to drive inclusive growth and bridge the connectivity gap across the continent.”
A Comprehensive Experience
The students’ diverse activities included engineering challenges at Microsoft’s campus, engaging fireside chats with venture capitalists and Stanford lecturers, and themed discussions at the Claremont Country Club on Africa’s role in global innovation. They also visited UC Berkeley for a session on Startup Intellectual Property with Matt Rapoport, Executive Director at Wells Fargo, where they learned to identify, protect, and leverage patents and trademarks. Back at the Carnegie Foundation, they attended leadership seminars and a generative-AI workshop, grappling with the ethics and social impact of emerging technologies.
This program comes at a time when US technology giants are increasingly demonstrating their commitment to Africa’s digital economy. Google has opened its first African AI research lab in Ghana, and IBM maintains R&D facilities in Kenya and South Africa. With Africa projected to account for one in five people globally by 2050 and its innovation hubs emerging as proving grounds for ethical, scalable technologies, this two-way partnership underscores the continent’s pivotal role in shaping the future of the digital economy.
ALU’s Broader Vision
The Silicon Valley Global Leadership Programme is integral to ALU’s broader vision of developing three million entrepreneurial African leaders by 2035. Through strategic partnerships, immersive experiences, and real-world projects, ALU is equipping the continent’s youth with the tools to tackle complex challenges and launch high-impact ventures. To date, ALU alumni have created over 340 ventures, raised nearly $141 million in funding, and generated more than 52,000 jobs.
This year marks the fourth cohort of students to participate in the Global Leadership Programme, hosted in partnership with the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, a US-based education policy and research center. In addition to Silicon Valley, ALU operates learning hubs in Addis Ababa, Kampala, Lagos, and Nairobi.
This year’s cohort also included promising changemakers from Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and Uganda, each with bold ventures and commitments to social impact across fields such as education, health, energy, and digital equity. Other talented participants included Audry Ashleen Chivanga, Hakim Nakaana Kakooza, Branice Kazira Otiende, Yvone Khavesta, Don Daniel Mikenze, Sarabel Akinyi Odero, Maliha Mehboob Sumar, Oliver Itangisha, and Lavender Birike Otieno.