By 
Five Nigerian students from the African Leadership University (ALU) have been selected for the prestigious Silicon Valley Global Leadership Program. This month-long immersion will see them visit tech giants such as Microsoft and Y Combinator, and participate in masterclasses with industry leaders.
RELATED: US firm training African students to become cybersecurity professionals
The selected students, Kay-Uwagboe Eseosa Pascal, Tito-Paris Adaobi Olisakwe, Smart Israel Obidah, Jesse Maikarfi, and Oreoluwa Ayanfe Ayo-Fisher, will join ALU’s program designed to equip Africa’s brightest young minds with entrepreneurial and technological skills.
Over the course of the program, from May 7th to 31st, the students will interact with top Silicon Valley innovators, tour major tech company headquarters, and gain insights to launch ventures addressing global challenges.
Based in the heart of Silicon Valley at Stanford University, the students will attend workshops organized by the ALU Office of Entrepreneurship at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. These sessions will cover topics such as ethical and sustainable business practices, health and agricultural technology, software programming, and trends in artificial intelligence.
The students will engage with notable figures such as Sara Spangelo, Co-Founder and CEO of Swarm Technology (SpaceX), and Amy Klement, Managing Partner at Imaginable Futures.
They will also visit the headquarters of Microsoft, Coursera, and Y Combinator, and participate in fireside chats and masterclasses with experts like Timnit Gebru, an AI ethics specialist.
Smart Israel, an ALU Software Engineering student, expressed his excitement about the program: “This is no ordinary educational visit. Through the Silicon Valley Global Leadership Program, I have the opportunity to study in an epicenter of global innovation, exploring the latest technologies and disruptive business models, and applying these perspectives and skills to solving the grand challenges facing the African community.”
Each student will be paired with an industry mentor, providing personalized guidance and support. They will also attend networking events at venues like the Lucile Packard Foundation, Mulago Foundation, and Stanford African Students Association, and explore notable landmarks in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Veda Sunassee, CEO of ALU, highlighted the significance of this program: “Africa, with 70% of its population under 30, is the world’s youngest continent, teeming with innovation and creative energy. To harness this, at ALU, we emphasize experiential learning to foster entrepreneurial thinking and cross-sector collaboration. The students in this program are on remarkable missions, from harnessing AI to revolutionize healthcare to devising sustainable solutions for water security. We’re excited to see how they incorporate Silicon Valley’s innovative and disruptive spirit into their groundbreaking ventures.”
This initiative aligns with the broader efforts by the US to strengthen relations with Africa. At the US-Africa Business Forum in December 2022, President Biden announced $15 billion in partnerships focusing on sustainable energy and digital connectivity. African startups have also attracted significant US investment, exemplified by San Franciscan venture capital firm Partech’s $300 million fund for African startups.
ALU, with campuses in Kigali and Mauritius, aims to develop 3 million ethical and entrepreneurial African leaders by 2035. More than a quarter of their alumni have started 140 unique ventures, creating over 44,000 jobs and raising nearly $6 million.
The Silicon Valley Global Leadership Program is part of ALU’s broader initiative to foster leadership and innovation among Africa’s youth.
