Africa has the talent to power the world’s most advanced AI systems — so why is so much of that talent building elsewhere?

In this episode, we sit down with a postdoctoral researcher at a US Department of Energy national laboratory working at the intersection of artificial intelligence and high-performance computing. He breaks down what supercomputers actually do, why they matter for science and society, and how African researchers are already shaping global AI — often without the infrastructure to do so at home.

From childhood curiosity and mentorship in Nigeria to working with AI, IoT, and citizen science to improve food security, this conversation explores how local knowledge, not just massive computing power, can drive innovation. We unpack Africa’s strengths in human capital, the challenges of outdated curricula and weak systems, and what it will really take to tackle brain drain, reform education, and build technology ecosystems that work locally and compete globally.

This is a wide-ranging discussion on AI in Africa, supercomputing, education reform, agriculture, health systems, and the urgent need to create environments where African talent can thrive — at home.