A Senior Lecturer at Ekiti State Polytechnic, Dr. Ajayi Ebenezer Akinyemi, is among the facilitators training young Nigerians in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cybersecurity at the Ijesa Digital Hub (IDH), a programme spotlighted at the maiden Ijesa Tech Conference held on July 18, 2026, in Iloko Ijesa, Osun State.

Akinyemi, a PhD scholar specialising in AI, Machine Learning and Cybersecurity, is one of several academics and industry professionals delivering the Hub's technical curriculum, which has produced 112 graduates from more than 350 trainees since the programme began in early 2024, according to figures presented at the conference.

The Hub, run by the Ijesaland Global Alliance for Development (IGAD), disclosed that 46 trainees graduated in software development, cybersecurity, data analytics, UI/UX design, and Artificial Intelligence tools mastery at the conference, alongside the presentation of N5 million in technology training scholarships funded through the Ijesa Development Council's IVETP Programme in partnership with IGAD.

Speaking at the event, Executive Director of the Hub, Dr. Cornelius Adewale, stated that the training was structured to combine mentorship, project based learning, portfolio development, and certification support, rather than technical instruction alone. "Our objective is to connect education with entrepreneurship and innovation so that every graduate becomes a potential contributor to the economic growth of Ijesaland," he said.

The conference also marked the launch of the Ijesa Tech Prize, a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) competition for secondary school students, which drew entries from 65 schools and more than 130 students in its first edition.

Chairman of IGAD, Prince Abimbola Olashore, told the conference that human capital investment matters more for long term growth than physical infrastructure alone, a point echoed by IGAD Vice President, Dr. Wale Alonge, who credited the collaboration between IGAD and the Ijesa Development Council for demonstrating the value of partnerships in developing human capital.

On a conference panel, Founder of CyberCode Limited, Mr. Tunji Igbalajobi, urged students to build technology rather than only consume it. "Don't just be consumers online; be producers. Innovation starts with production, not consumption," he said.

Vice President II of the Ijesa Development Council, Lady Modupe Ajayi Gbadebo, and the Owa Obokun Adimula and Paramount Ruler of Ijesaland, Owa Clement Adesuyi Haastrup, Ajimoko III, both pledged continued support for the initiative at the event.