TLDR

  • Flutterwave CEO Olugbenga “GB” Agboola launched the Oxford Global Think Tank AI Virtual Centre in Abuja.

  • The think tank also released its first AI Report at the same event.

  • The Centre is a digital platform that links research, public policy and market work.

  • The event was the 2026 OGTT Leadership Conference at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel.

  • Agboola said Africa’s AI future should reflect its own culture and local knowledge.

Olugbenga “GB” Agboola, the founder and CEO of Flutterwave, gave special remarks at a launch event in Abuja. He opened the Oxford Global Think Tank AI Virtual Centre and presented the group’s first AI Report. The news was shared on November 9, 2026.

The launches took place during an artificial intelligence session. The session was part of the 2026 OGTT Leadership Conference. It was held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja.

Who Hosted the Conference

Economist Arunma Oteh convened the summit. His Highness Muhammadu Sanusi II, the Emir of Kano, co-chaired it. Atedo Peterside was the other co-chair.

The event brought together leaders from the private and public sectors. They gathered to build partnerships around three core pillars. These were Resilience, Innovation and Dynamism.

What the AI Virtual Centre Will Do

The AI Virtual Centre is a digital platform. It is built to break down barriers between groups that often work apart. It brings research, public policy and market work into one space.

The Centre will help partners track data together. It is also meant to help ensure that rules and regulations support new technology. The goal is for regulation to help innovation rather than slow it.

Agboola spoke to delegates at the unveiling. He talked about the need for practical innovation. He also pointed to cross-sector teamwork and a supportive ecosystem.

He said these steps would help Africa play a bigger role in the global AI field. His focus was on the work that happens on the ground. He tied the new Centre to that aim.

“Africa’s future in generative AI should be shaped by its own cultural realities, intellectual capacity, and local knowledge,” Agboola said. He added that technology must solve a real human problem. “If technology does not solve a practical, human problem on the ground, it is just lines of code,” he said.

Agboola called the Virtual Centre and the AI Report a major milestone. He said they move Africa from watching the tech shift to shaping it. He described this as a change from being observers to active participants.

The AI Report is the first one released by the Oxford Global Think Tank. It was unveiled at the same session as the Centre. No other details of the report were shared in the announcement.

Flutterwave congratulated Arunma Oteh and the leadership team at the think tank. It praised the successful rollout of both projects. The company called them initiatives that will shape the ecosystem.

The announcement was dated Lagos, Nigeria, on November 9, 2026. It came after the gathering of continental leaders in Abuja. The conference ran with the themes of Resilience, Innovation and Dynamism.