Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji is a Nigerian artificial intelligence for development professional, entrepreneur, public policy adviser and social impact leader whose career has evolved across technology, education, youth development, media and public policy.
Born Oluwatoyosi Akerele in Lagos State, Nigeria, she is the founder and CEO of Rise Networks, a Lagos-based data and AI-for-development social enterprise. She is also the founder of Rise Interactive Studios, the production company behind Makemation, described in the source as Africa’s first feature film centred on artificial intelligence.
Her work increasingly focuses on the intersection of artificial intelligence, AI safety and governance, public policy, education, media and inclusive development, positioning her as one of Nigeria’s prominent voices in conversations about technology and the future of Africa.
Early Life and Education
Akerele-Ogunsiji was born to James Ayodele and Felicia Mopelola Akerele in Lagos State.
She began her education at Ebun Oluwa Nursery and Primary School in Oregun, Lagos, before attending Lagos State Model College, Kankon, Badagry, for her junior secondary education. She later attended Egbado College, now Yewa College, where she graduated as the best student in an essay competition organised by the Aionian Group of Schools in Ogun State.
She obtained a Second Class Upper degree in Civil Law from the University of Jos in 2007.
Her academic and professional development subsequently expanded beyond law. She became a Mason Fellow and Mid-Career Master in Public Administration alumnus of Harvard Kennedy School.
She also studied Strategic Management at executive level at Cambridge University’s Judge Business School, alongside programmes in youth-inclusive financial services, media enterprise, project management and digital marketing strategy.
In 2025, she became a PhD Fellow at the Nigerian Defence Academy, where her research focuses on the intersection of defence and digital transformation and their implications for national and economic security.
Beginning Her Professional Career
Akerele-Ogunsiji began her professional career in 2007 as a Corporate Communications and External Affairs Executive at Oando Oil and Gas PLC.
She later joined the Ministry of Youths and Social Development in Ogun State, where she served as Special Assistant to the Honourable Commissioner on Youth Development.
Her interest in youth development eventually led her to establish Rise Human and Education Development Networks, an organisation focused on intellectual development and capacity-building programmes for young Nigerians between the ages of 16 and 30.
This early work established a recurring theme in her career: using education, technology and institutional partnerships to expand opportunities for young people.
Building Passnownow and Expanding Digital Education
In 2012, Akerele-Ogunsiji founded Passnownow, an education technology initiative designed to help underserved and disadvantaged secondary school students access curriculum-compliant educational content through mobile devices.
The platform reflected her belief that technology could help overcome some of the barriers limiting access to educational resources.
She also founded Printmagicng, an online printing company designed to provide affordable, rapid printing services to small businesses through the internet.
Through these ventures, her work expanded from youth advocacy into entrepreneurship and technology-enabled services.
Rise Networks and the Growth of an AI-for-Development Career
Akerele-Ogunsiji is the founder and CEO of Rise Networks, a social enterprise focused on data, technology and development.
Over time, her work through Rise Networks has increasingly moved into the field of artificial intelligence for development, including conversations around AI governance, safety, public policy and the impact of emerging technologies on African societies.
Under her leadership, Rise Networks represented Nigeria on international AI policy and safety platforms. The organisation participated in the inaugural UK AI Safety Summit in November 2023, while Akerele-Ogunsiji has also participated in international technology and AI programmes.
Her engagements have included the Global Artificial Intelligence Summit in Riyadh, ITU’s AI for Good programming and other international forums focused on the opportunities and challenges presented by artificial intelligence.
She has also served on multi-stakeholder advisory initiatives focused on AI for development, including a UNDP AI4Dev reference initiative in Nigeria.
Bringing Artificial Intelligence to the Big Screen
One of the most distinctive aspects of Akerele-Ogunsiji’s recent work has been her involvement in film and media as a vehicle for technology education and public conversation.
Through Rise Interactive Studios, she co-produced Makemation, a feature film centred on artificial intelligence and technological innovation.
The film has been positioned as a platform for exploring questions around gender, inclusion, artificial intelligence, technology in the Global South and Africa’s development challenges.
The project represents an intersection between her technology and media interests, using popular culture to introduce complex technological issues to a wider audience.
The film was also positioned for screening at an exclusive side event of the 80th United Nations General Assembly and the Global Citizen Festival in New York.
Harvard, MIT and Public-Sector Innovation
In 2017, Akerele-Ogunsiji led international students from Harvard Kennedy School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on a one-week Public Sector and Innovation Field Trip in Lagos.
The programme created an opportunity for participants to engage with issues surrounding urban development, innovation, economic competitiveness, democratic governance and public policy in Lagos and Nigeria.
The initiative further demonstrated her ability to connect international academic institutions with African innovation and public-sector environments.
Publications and Thought Leadership
Akerele-Ogunsiji is also an author and public commentator on leadership, entrepreneurship, youth development and social change.
Her publications include Strate-Tricks: Strategies and Tricks, the Winning Formula for Emerging Businesses and We Have to Belong: Why the Poor Majority of My Rich Country Cannot Wait Anymore.
The latter was launched at the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard Kennedy School in May 2017.
Her writings, interviews and commentary have appeared in Nigerian publications including The Nation, The Guardian, The Punch and ThisDay.
She has also delivered presentations and participated in discussions at platforms including the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Women in Management, Business and Public Sector, Youth Africamp, the United Nations Media Workshop on Africa Governance Report and other African and international forums.
Recognition and Awards
Akerele-Ogunsiji has received recognition from Nigerian, African and international organisations throughout her career.
Among her recognitions are:
- Selection as one of 101 Young African Leaders by the African Business Forum in 2007.
- Recognition by the Crans Montana Forum as a New Leader of Tomorrow.
- ThisDay Women of Distinction Award.
- Young Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2011 Success Digest Entrepreneurial Awards.
- The 2011 Excellence Award from the School of Media and Communication, Pan-Atlantic University.
- The 2008 Future Africa Award for Best Use of Advocacy.
- The Nigerian Youth Leadership Award, jointly organised by LEAP Africa, International Youth Foundation and Nokia.
- Recognition among the Top 100 Young Leaders during Nigeria’s centenary celebrations.
- Selection for the Nigeria Leadership Initiative Future Leaders Fellowship in 2010.
- Recognition by Genevieve Magazine among Nigeria’s outstanding women.
- Selection for the United States Government’s International Visitor Leadership Program.
- Recognition by Forbes in 2014 as one of the 20 Most Powerful Young Women in Africa.
She has also served in a number of leadership, mentoring and judging capacities, including roles connected to entrepreneurship competitions and youth development initiatives.
A Career Built Around Youth and Social Impact
A recurring feature of Akerele-Ogunsiji’s career has been her focus on young people.
From Rise Human and Education Development Networks to Passnownow, entrepreneurship programmes, international student engagements and her work in technology policy, she has consistently operated at the intersection of education, leadership, technology and social development.
Her work has also taken her into conversations around human rights, open data, youth participation and public-sector innovation.
She has served as a member of initiatives focused on open data and human rights and was appointed as a member of the Victims of Terrorism Funds Committee, where she was described as its youngest member.
She has also served as a jury member for the Get Started Africa Entrepreneurship Challenge and as a mentor for the African Entrepreneurship Awards and Bank of Africa’s entrepreneurship programmes.
Michelle Obama’s Recognition
One of the most notable moments in Akerele-Ogunsiji’s early public profile came in June 2011, when Michelle Obama, then First Lady of the United States, described her as one of her personal inspirations during a televised address ahead of Obama’s visit to Africa.
Akerele-Ogunsiji had been involved in the Young African Women Leaders Forum, where she was identified as the only Nigerian member of the initiative according to the supplied source.
The recognition brought international attention to her work in youth leadership and social development.
Shaping Africa’s AI Conversation
Today, Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji’s career increasingly reflects the changing priorities of Africa’s technology ecosystem.
Her earlier work focused heavily on youth development, education and entrepreneurship. Her more recent activities have expanded into artificial intelligence, AI safety, governance, public policy and digital transformation.
Through Rise Networks, international policy engagements and projects such as Makemation, she has sought to bring African perspectives into global conversations about how artificial intelligence should be developed and deployed.
Her work also highlights the importance of ensuring that technological progress is connected to Africa’s broader development priorities, including education, inclusion, economic opportunity and national security.
Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji Today
Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji has built a career that crosses several traditionally separate fields: law, entrepreneurship, education, technology, media, public policy and social impact.
From founding youth development initiatives and education technology platforms to leading Rise Networks and contributing to international AI policy conversations, she has consistently used technology and innovation as tools for addressing social and economic challenges.
Her growing involvement in artificial intelligence governance and digital transformation represents a new phase of her career—one increasingly focused not only on building technology, but also on shaping the policies, institutions and conversations that will determine how technology affects African societies.
With her work spanning AI for development, youth empowerment, public policy, education, media and innovation, Akerele-Ogunsiji continues to position herself as a prominent Nigerian voice in Africa’s evolving digital and technological landscape.