TEDxLagos GIS

Speakers

Speakers may not be confirmed. Check the event website for the latest lineup.

• Benita-Maria Kelechi Opara

  Spoken Word Artiste

  Benita-Maria Kelechi Opara, also known as Rialena, is a first-class graduate of Architecture and an award-winning spoken word artiste with over nine years of experience in poetry and performance. For her, spoken word transcends art—it is a powerful medium for expressing her faith, challenging perspectives and shaping culture as her architectural touch shapes spaces. Rialena has performed across diverse platforms and audiences. Her piece “I Have Decided” won the 2024 Ekpebiwo’m Spoken Word Challenge, earning acclaim for its depth and delivery. Beyond architecture and poetry, Rialena is a skilled public speaker who has trained over 100 students in the last two years on effective communication and presentation. She is also an experienced event host, an avid reader and researcher, and a contributing writer with a passion for thought-provoking articles.

• Dr. Ayodele Renner

  Consultant Paediatrician

  Dr. Ayodele Renner is a consultant paediatrician with over a decade of experience. He’s also a social media influencer and health content creator, known as “The Noisy Naija Paediatrician” on Instagram, where he shares free healthcare information and education with over 170k followers, reaching 3 million accounts monthly. Dr. Renner is a co-founder of Agnosys Care on Demand, a digital health platform providing tech-driven health solutions, including home immunization services. He’s been nominated for several awards, including “The Force of Wellness” and “Health Influencer of the Year”. He is also Gates Foundation Goal Keeper who advocates for health equity and improved child survival through vaccination and good nutrition.

• DR. Kafayat Oluwatoyin Shafau

  Choreographer

  Kafayat Oluwatoyin Shafau, known to the world as Kaffy, is a transformational force in the global creative economy. From breaking theGuinness World Record for the Longest Dance Party to pioneering Africa’s first structured and registered dance company and academy, Kaffy’s journey has been one of mastery, innovation, and impact. As a choreographer, creative director, filmmaker, wellness educator, and transformation coach, Kaffy has dedicated her life to proving that movement is more than art—it is a tool for healing, empowerment, and social change. Over two decades, she has evolved from an individual performer into a creative entrepreneur, founding Kaffy Incorporated—a company encompassing five powerful brands: Kaffy Kreative Agency, IJODA Wellness, Kaffy Boss Academy, Yanga Activewear, and the Kaffy Foundation.

• Eva Chisom Chukwunelo

  Disability Inclusion Advocate

  Eva Chisom Chukwunelo is a Nigerian storyteller, content creator, and disability inclusion advocate. As an amputee, she uses her personal journey to challenge shame, redefine beauty, and push for accessible and Africanized innovations in fashion, media, and design. She is deeply passionate about the representation and preservation of disabled persons and their stories, ensuring their voices and experiences remain visible in Africa’s cultural memory.

• Olorunfemi Adewuyi

  Architectural Designer

  Olorunfemi Adewuyi is an architectural designer and researcher based in Lagos, Nigeria. He founded Omi Collective (2023), an antidisciplinary design and research group. Omi—meaning “water” in Yoruba, his mother tongue—reflects a sustained engagement with the politics and poetics of this resource. He is attuned to identifying latent and dismissed intelligences, reframing them to broaden the often resistive canons of modernity into a more inclusive whole. Adewuyi is the recipient of notable fellowships and awards, including the Prince Claus Building Beyond Fellowship (2025), Institut Français Création Africa (2023), and the Goethe-Institut Support and Connect Grant (2023 & 2024). In 2025, he is recognised by Wallpaper* and Dwell magazines as one of the best emerging designers working in the world today. His work, designs, and writings—by and about him—are featured by and at important institutions globally.

• Oyeyemi Aderibigbe

  Lawyer

  Oyeyemi is a lawyer, writer, and policy advisor. She is renowned for speaking and writing on professional, social, and political matters in a way that young people connect with and derive value from. From the boardroom to the streets, she has championed access and opportunity for young people and women. She leads the Baton Initiative Africa, a social enterprise set up with the essential intent of equipping Africa’s next generation with the right values, skillset, and cultural agility to build and sustain the emerging Africa. She served as the youngest member of the executive council of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Business Law and the Nigerian Bar Association Women Forum at the time of her appointment. She has also been recognized as one of the lawyers and rising stars who will shape the future of the profession.

• Paul Ninson

  Visual Storyteller

  Paul Ninson is a Ghanaian founder, executive director, scholar, and visual storyteller whose work bridges art, archives, education, and social transformation. He is the visionary behind the Dikan Centre in Accra, Ghana — home to Africa’s largest photography library and a pioneering institution redefining visual education on the continent. Founded in 2022, Dikan nurtures Africa’s next generation of creative leaders through education, exhibitions, research, and cultural heritage preservation. Under Paul’s leadership, the Center has expanded into the Awo Institute, a research and digitization hub advancing African-centered scholarship and storytelling through archives and technology, and Ahenfie, a reimagined African “palace of memory” redefining the museum model through philosophies of community, ancestry, and continuity.

• Sadiya Adado

  Creative Storyteller

  Sadiya Adado is a Nigerian Structural engineer, born and raised in Kano state, a climate justice activist, and a global leader passionate about amplifying the untold stories of marginalised people. As the founder of United Youth for Environmental Sustainability (U-YES), she uses storytelling and creative approaches to bridge awareness and action, ensuring that the voices and issues of the underserved reach the global stage, while bringing global awareness back to the grassroots.

• Vincent Egoro

  Clean Energy Advocate

  Vincent Egoro is Head of Africa Region at the Resource Justice Network, leading advocacy across 30 countries on energy transition, fossil fuel phase-out, and critical minerals. A former architecture student who once studied by candlelight, he champions skills as infrastructure to power Africa’s clean energy future.