Emmanuel Lubanzadio is often on the move. In April, he addressed policymakers and tech-leaders at the Global AI Summit in Kigali. He then attended the GITEX Africa Conference in Morocco. He has scheduled more appearances in the coming week, where he will continue advocating for African adoption AI tools on behalf OpenAI, the company that created ChatGPT.
Lubanzadio, before joining OpenAI, was a policy adviser for UNICEF’s Giga initiative. He focused on connectivity and technology policies. Before that, he was the head of Twitter’s government relations for Africa. Lubanzadio was asked if he had ever felt self-doubt in his roles as a bridge between global companies and Africa. He says he has no doubts. Lubanzadio, who was born in Bonn to parents from Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo, developed a dual identity in the city steeped in German culture. “I grew with a double identity,” he says. “I was immersed in German culture and language, as well as education, while being nurtured and taught by African parents who still held on to their values and traditions from the homeland.”
Discovering technology’s influence in Obama’s America.
Lubanzadio, on a basketball scholarship to the U.S., moved there to pursue a degree in international relations. Barack Obama’s presidential election campaign at the time used technology, including social media platforms such as Twitter and YouTube, to mobilise voters. Lubanzadio explains that he first learned about tech policy at the time. “I saw the technology being used to spread political messages, and I have been very passionate about it ever since.”
Lubanzadio moved from New York to Washington, D.C. in 2012 to immerse himself in the heartland of American policymaking via the Congressional Black Caucus Fellowship. He conducted research on the African Growth and Opportunity Act, a U.S. Trade Policy enacted in 2000. This policy has boosted African exports in textiles and agricultural products, and fueled ecommerce startups in Nigeria. He says that he was an observer, learning how nations negotiate and how agreements shape economies. The experience deepened the understanding of Africa’s potential economic growth, as well as the role policy plays in unlocking this potential.
Working for Twitter
Lubanzadio joined Twitter in 2020 to lead its government relations on the African continent during a period of rapid transformation of the digital landscape. This was accelerated by the pandemic. His role was to connect Twitter’s global ambitions and Africa’s unique social-political reality. His proudest achievement was to facilitate Twitter’s expansion in Africa, culminating with the opening of its office in Ghana in 2020.
“I was the leader of the policy engagement and convened a meeting between Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, and the Ghanaian President,” he says, his voice tinged by pride.
At the time, Nigeria faced a turbulent social-political situation. Twitter was banned after President Muhammadu Buhari deleted tweets that warned of a possible repeat of the Nigerian Civil War, amid unrest primarily in the southeast involving the Igbo.
For Lubanzadio, the Nigerian ban was a turning point. It highlighted the importance of trust in navigating Africa’s fragmented political landscape.
With 54 different countries and regulatory frameworks, technology companies face a variety of challenges ranging from data localisation laws or cybersecurity concerns. Lubanzadio believes that conversation is a powerful tool in Africa’s rapidly evolving tech ecosystem. He says that it’s important to listen to concerns and explain one’s own position. “Conversation is always the answer.” He stresses that stakeholders may not understand OpenAI’s value proposition because it is a “faraway organization”.
Working at OpenAI
In early 2025, Lubanzadio joined OpenAI as its Africa lead. OpenAI’s mission to advance artificial general intelligence (AGI) for global benefit resonated deeply with him. “AI is the next frontier,” he says, “and I want Africa to be part of shaping it, not just using it.”
Four months into his role, travelling across Africa, from Kenya to Morocco, Lubanzadio has seen how OpenAI’s partnerships are unlocking AI’s transformative potential for the continent. “Over 500 million people and businesses globally use ChatGPT weekly, and Africa is a part of that,” he says.
In healthcare, AI is improving maternal care in remote areas; in agriculture, it’s boosting crop yields for smallholder farmers who produce 70% of Africa’s food supply. There are companies like Jacaranda Health is a Kenyan company that uses AI-powered SMS to support pregnant women. Digital Green provides AI-generated farming advise to 160,000 smallholders across Kenya, Nigeria and Ethiopia.
These initiatives demonstrate AI’s ability in Africa to meet urgent needs. Despite this, challenges remain. Only about 36% of Africans are online, but the high cost of hardware, such as Nvidia GPUs that can cost up to $40,000, has limited AI adoption.
Lubanzadio stresses partnerships as a key to overcome these barriers. OpenAI’s partnership with the AI for Global Development Accelerator, is an example of such a partnership. It provides technical support and API credit to nonprofits that use AI to solve social challenges.
In addition, he cited the announcement by Cassava Technologies & Nvidia of Africa’s First “AI Factory” in March 2025 just before the Global AI Summit at Kigali. This announcement has been hailed as a turning-point for AI development in Africa. The facility will deploy Nvidia GPU-based supercomputers to South Africa with plans to expand to Egypt, Kenya and Morocco. It also addresses the continent’s computing deficit. Only 5% Africa’s 80,000 AI practitioners are African Currently Have adequate computational resources. OpenAI
is not directly involved with the project. However, Lubanzadio describes it as a game-changer. Experts have expressed optimism that local data centres can reduce latency and cost, allowing African innovators to create AI models that are contextually relevant.
Navigating Challenges, Seizing Opportunities
Africa’s tech ecosystem is vibrant and complex. Infrastructure gaps and policy fragmentation in 54 countries continue to be significant obstacles. Digital literacy is low, especially among women: A survey by 2024 ImpactHER found that 86% African women lacked basic AI proficiency. Rural women were particularly affected.
Get all the best African tech news delivered to your inbox.
Lubanzadio is optimistic and continues to highlight the growing momentum. Seven African countries have developed AI strategies. Kenya and South Africa are among them. Initiatives such as Rwanda’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution encourage innovation. The Global AI Summit, held in Kigali, Lubanzadio earlier this year, highlighted Africa’s ambition to be a leader in ethical and inclusive AI adoption. The summit produced a Africa Declaration on AI, which aimed to position the continent as a major player in the race. It was backed by a 60 billion dollar fund to boost infrastructure and talent development. Lubanzadio told me that the conversations were “empowering, realistic and constructive.” “AI isn’t a distant tech–it’s real and here.”
He tells me how OpenAI sources and includes African data, most of which is off-line, to train models that are accurate for the continent. Facial recognition systems, for example, often struggle to recognize darker skin tones because of biased training data. Lubanzadio states that this is a top priority. “Inclusion begins with partnerships,” he says. OpenAI’s collaborations with organisations like Orange address the underrepresentation (of African languages and cultures) in global datasets.
Lubanzadio’s role is demanding and requires constant travel as well as high-stakes negotiation. He is a modern nomad who travels between continents. His commitment to Africa keeps him grounded. When I ask him how he manages the responsibility of his position, he recalls a defining experience at UNICEF’s Giga initiative where he was faced with the stark reality the digital divide. “I was humbled,” says he. The internet changed my life, allowing me to find scholarships and dream big. It’s shocking to think that billions of people don’t have this opportunity.
Lubanzadio smiles when I ask him what he believes the future holds for himself in the next five year. He says, “I don’t make five-year plans.” “I follow a compasses of curiosity and purpose.” He says.
Reflecting on his current perspective he would tell his younger self, or any young African just starting out, to embrace intentionality.
He says, “It is a marathon and not a sprint.” “Know your motivation, what you want to achieve. It’s easy to get caught up in the expectations of others without that foundation. His path, afterall, defied advice not to engage in politics. “Had i listened to others, i wouldn’t be where I am today,” he says.
Mark the dates! Moonshot by TechCabal will be back in Lagos, October 15-16! Join Africa’s leading founders, tech leaders, and creatives for 2 days of keynotes. Early bird tickets are now 20% off — don’t sleep! moonshot.techcabal.com
