Lagos Oriental Hotel · Jan 22, 2026

The practical AI conference for
engineers, founders & students.

AI in Action Now Lagos 2026 is a non-profit, impact-led conference focused on real-world AI – from LLMs, Agentic AI and RAG to production-ready systems. Taking place at the Lagos Oriental Hotel, it blends technical depth with community collaboration for Africa’s next generation of AI builders.

Date Thursday, January 22, 2026

Time 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM (WAT)

Location Lagos Oriental Hotel, 3 Lekki Road, before Lekki Toll Gate, Victoria Island, Lagos

Format Keynotes · Panels · Workshops · Showcase

🎓 Special track & pricing for students and early-career engineers.

🤝 Non-profit & ecosystem-focused – not a commercial event.

AI in Action: Conference Snapshot

What you can expect at a glance

AIinActionNow

A one-day immersion into practical AI – connecting engineers, founders, data scientists, students and business leaders with real case studies, hands-on demos, and honest conversations about building AI in and for Africa.

What to Expect

Inspiring keynotes from leaders driving AI adoption across Africa.
Panels on LLMs, Agentic AI, and Ethical Innovation.
Startup & Product Showcase of African-built AI solutions.
Hands-on workshops on LLMs and Agentic Systems.
High-intent networking across founders, engineers, investors, and educators.

Attendees

250+ in-person

Speakers

10+ experts

Tracks

Engineering · Product · Policy

Focus

LLMs · Agents · RAG

Impact-led Non-profit Built by practitioners

About the conference

AI in Action is about doing, not just talking.

There are many AI events – but very few that focus on how to actually build, deploy and scale AI systems in real organisations, with real constraints and real users.

AI in Action 2026 is designed as a give-back initiative, prioritising learning, access and collaboration over profit. Our mission is simple: empower the next wave of African AI builders with practical skills, honest stories, and real connections.

Non-profit · Ecosystem first Built by an AI Engineer For Founders & Builders Student-friendly

Who is this for?

Engineers & Data Scientists building models, RAG, agents and MLOps pipelines.
Founders & Product Leaders building AI products and platforms for African markets.
Students & Early-career Talent looking for direction, mentorship and opportunity.
Business & Policy Leaders who need a realistic understanding of what AI can (and cannot) do.

Why attend

What you’ll walk away with.

Our commitment: you should leave AI in Action with clarity, connections and concrete next steps – not just selfies and buzzwords.

Real-world case studies

How teams in Nigeria and beyond are shipping AI products – from prototype to production. What worked, what failed, and what they’d do differently.

Hands-on technical sessions

Sessions focused on RAG, LLM engineering, agents, evaluation, MLOps and more – with code, architecture diagrams and patterns you can actually reuse.

Networking that matters

Connect with founders, engineers, students, investors and ecosystem leaders who are serious about building. Not just exchanging business cards.

Student & talent pipeline

Dedicated opportunities for students to meet hiring managers and founders, get feedback on their journey, and discover practical paths into AI careers.

Speakers & contributors

Local brilliance, global perspective.

AI in Action curates voices from engineering, product, research, policy and venture – with a bias toward people who actually ship things.

Victor Ogunbiyi

Founder & CEO, DAWN AI STUDY

Ehia Erhaboh

PhD Researcher, University of Bradford · Co-founder, AI in Nigeria

Sharon Juwah

MBA, Artificial Intelligence & Automation

Omotayo Ogunlade

Group Chief Technology Officer, Onafriq (formerly MFS Africa)

Mr. Biodun Ogunleye

Honourable Commissioner, Lagos State Ministry of Energy & Mineral Resources

Lanre Basamta

CEO & Co-founder, Optimus AI Labs

Olowoniwa Gabriel Ayokunle

Enterprise Engineer & Technical Founder

Michael Adetoro

AI Engineer · Founder, Burlux

Funmilola Babarinde

Transformation Project Manager

Oladimeji Gabriel Anthonio

AI Researcher & Innovator

Jonathan Enudeme

Founder & CEO, Zummit Africa

Gabriel Oke

Co-founder & Chief Business Development Officer, AltruisTech

Solomon Ayodele O

Co-Founder & CTO of KorinAI, Africa’s first AI Music Lab.

Sakinat Folurunso

Associate Professor of AI Systems @ OLABISI ONABANJO UNIVERSITY

Debola Ibiyode

CEO & Founder, CarbonAI · Convener, AI in Action Now

AI in Action Now

Lagos Oriental Hotel · January 22, 2026

Program overview

A one-day deep dive into applied AI.

Final agenda for the day – subject only to minor timing adjustments.

Morning – Foundations & context

10:00 – 10:45

Registration, networking & ecosystem showcase

Check-in, grab coffee, and meet fellow builders, students and partners across the AI ecosystem.

11:00 – 11:15

Welcome & opening remarks

Host / MC & Moderator sets the mission for AI in Action Now, recognises speakers and sponsors, and frames the day for engineers, founders and students.

11:15 – 11:25

Opening entertainment – voices from the ecosystem

Short video segment featuring AI practitioners responding to “Where we really are with AI – beyond hype, local realities and constraints.”

11:30 – 11:55

Opening keynote – AI in Action for Nigeria

Delivered by the Convener & AI Founder. Introduces the theme “AI in Action for Nigeria’s Productivity and Sustainable Innovation” and sets a community-first tone.

12:05 – 12:25

Opening speech – Building the Future in AI Together

Conference Chair address on national AI readiness, talent, infrastructure, governance, and the role of mentorship, innovation labs and policy frameworks in Africa’s AI journey.

12:25 – 12:55

Panel – From concept to production

Founders and engineering leaders share how they shipped real AI products in Africa – from first prototype to production, including what worked, what broke, and what they would do differently.

Afternoon – Tracks, systems & sustainability

13:00 – 13:20

Government keynote – Policy, energy & sustainable growth

Delivered by the Honourable Commissioner for Energy & Mineral Resources, Lagos State. Focus on AI-driven solutions for sustainable cities, smart grids, and empowering local innovators through policy and data.

13:25 – 14:00

Technical panel – LLMs, RAG & agentic AI in practice

A mix of AI founders, an AI professor, enterprise engineers, ML researchers and AI product builders. Deep dive into training and fine-tuning LLMs, RAG 2.0, agentic AI frameworks, infrastructure constraints and building context-aware systems for African use cases.

14:00 – 14:10

Networking break & exhibition

Visit startup booths, university labs and innovation hubs. Dedicated mentor corner for founders and students.

14:10 – 14:30

Technical keynote – Engineering the Future from LLMs to agentic AI

Delivered by a Group Chief Technology Officer from a Pan-African fintech network. Focus on production-grade architectures for LLM and agentic workflows, automation, and engineering culture at scale.

14:30 – 15:15

Lunch & networking

Connect with people you actually want to build with, hire or learn from – founders, engineers, policy leaders and students.

15:15 – 15:30

Sustainability keynote – CarbonAI & AI for greener markets

Delivered by the Founder & CEO of a sustainability-focused AI platform. Explores transparency in carbon markets, graph and RAG-based ESG intelligence, and mentoring the next wave of climate-focused AI founders.

Evening – Talent, products & the future we’re building

15:30 – 16:00

Future with AI panel – Building Africa’s AI workforce

A panel featuring an EdTech founder / university AI lecturer, a health delivery expert, a chief business development officer, a digital skills expert, an AI lab CEO/co-founder, a continent-wide AI education founder and a policy expert. Focus on AI literacy, skills pipelines, mentorship, inclusive participation and agentic thinking for the future of work.

16:05 – 16:40

Startup & product showcase

Live demos from African AI startups in sustainability, education and productivity. Non-competitive mentorship feedback from experienced tech/AI founders, enterprise engineers and venture builders.

16:45 – 17:00

AI in Action Now panel – Building locally, competing globally

Conversation between an African tech / ecosystem leader, an AI founder, an enterprise engineer and a business development leader. Explores African innovation on the global stage, collaboration over competition, and ethics in sustainable AI innovation.

17:00 – 17:15

Audience Q&A & reflections

Open-floor Q&A with the AI in Action Now panel, participant reflections, and commitments for volunteering, mentorship and ecosystem support.

17:15 – 18:00

Wrap-up, networking & photo session

Closing appreciation, certificates, media interviews, highlight recordings, and final networking as the AI in Action community continues beyond the event.

Tickets & registration

Register Now to secure your seat.

Step 1

Reserve your seat

Register now, to reserve a seat!! Complete your registration in the popup Luma page below. If it doesn’t load, use the direct link.

Step 2

Make Payment via Bank Transfer

Decide whether you’re registering as a student, individual professional, or group. Confirm your category and any discount codes you’ve received.
To complete your registration, please transfer the ticket amount to the account below. Your seat will be confirmed once payment proof is uploaded or emailed.

Bank Name: Zenith Bank
Account Name: Optisource Technologies Ltd
Account Number: 1229036320
Reference: AI-ACTION-2026 · Your Name/Code

Step 3

Check your email for confirmation

You’ll receive an email with your ticket details, event schedule and updates as we confirm speakers and final agenda.

Need help? Email ai@optisourcetech.com.

Ticket Pricing

AI in Action is non-profit. Ticket fees simply help us cover the venue, logistics and student scholarships.

🧠 Student Ticket

₦15,000

With valid student ID. Limited seats allocated.

Discounted

🚀 Early Bird
₦30,000
Discounted rate — limited quantity and time-bound.
Most popular

💼 Regular

₦45,000

For professionals, founders and ecosystem leaders.

⭐ Group / Team

Custom (₦120,000)

Group discounts for 5 people from the same organisation.

Have a community, university cohort or company group of 10+ people? Group discounts and partnership slots are available – reach out via email at ai@optisourcetech.com.

Bank Transfer Payment Option

For those who wish to pay via bank transfer, please use the details below. Your seat will be confirmed once payment proof is uploaded or emailed.

Bank Name: Zenith Bank
Account Name: Optisource Technologies Ltd
Account Number: 1229036320
Reference: AI-ACTION-2026 · Your Name/Code

After payment, please upload your proof on the registration page or email a copy to ai@optisourcetech.com.

Venue & partners

Hosted in Lagos, partnered with the ecosystem.

Final venue details will be confirmed after partner alignment – expect a central, accessible space in Lagos suitable for 250+ attendees.

Venue
Lagos Oriental Hotel
3 Lekki Road, before Lekki Toll Gate,
Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria

Date & Time
Thursday, January 22, 2026
10:00 AM – 5:00 PM (WAT)

The Lagos Oriental Hotel offers a central, accessible venue with full AV support, breakout spaces and networking areas – ideal for connecting engineers, founders, policymakers and students driving Africa’s AI future.

We welcome sponsor and community partners who share our vision of a strong, practical AI ecosystem in Africa.

Interested in sponsoring, hosting a lab, or supporting student access? Use the buttons belowand select “Sponsorship / Partnership Enquiry” as your enquiry type.

Frequently asked questions

Answers to common questions.

Is this a non-profit event?

Yes. AI in Action is an impact-led, non-profit initiative. Ticket fees are used to cover core costs (venue, logistics, production) and support student access. Any surplus goes back into building the ecosystem.

I’m a student. How do I qualify for the student ticket?

You’ll be asked to provide a valid student ID or proof of enrolment. Student tickets are limited and prioritised for those actively pursuing technical or related degrees.

Will there be recordings?

Where speakers consent, we plan to record selected sessions and share highlights after the event. Some technical labs will be in-person only.

Can I attend if I’m not technical?

Yes. While there is a strong engineering focus, there are also sessions for founders, product leaders, policy makers and business executives. The key is curiosity and a serious interest in AI.

Do you offer group or community discounts?

Yes. If you’re bringing a group of 5+ from a company, community or university, please reach out via email at ai@optisourcetech.com to discuss group rates or partnership slots.

How can my organisation sponsor or partner?

Use the buttons below and select “Sponsorship / Partnership Enquiry”. We’ll share our partnership deck and discuss how best to align with your goals.

Contact & partnerships

Have a question, idea or partnership in mind?

Email us directly at ai@optisourcetech.com. We especially welcome student leaders, community organisers, universities and ecosystem partners who want to collaborate.

Contact details

ai@optisourcetech.com

For sponsorship