Meet Our Speakers
Learn from Nigeria"s top culinary experts, food entrepreneurs, and industry leaders at the 2025 Food Summit.
Keynote Speakers
Industry Leaders Taking the Main Stage
Our keynote speakers are recognized experts who will share transformative insights and trends shaping the future of food in Nigeria and beyond.
Abubakar Suleiman
Financial Services Leader & Economic Development Advocate
With over 20 years in consulting and financial services, Abubakar Suleiman serves as CEO of Sterling Bank Plc, focusing on critical growth sectors represented by H.E.A.R.T: Health, Education, Agriculture, Renewable Energy, and Transportation. His leadership combines financial expertise with a vision for inclusive economic development, leveraging efficient markets and emerging technologies to create shared prosperity for Nigerians.
Kola Oyeneyin
Investment Strategist & Social Impact Entrepreneur
A seasoned investor with 15+ years of pioneering business innovation across Africa, Kola Oyeneyin leads Opportunik Global Fund as CEO and Chief Investment Officer. His expertise spans finance, technology, and creative industry funding, having revolutionized Nigeria's coworking and InsurTech sectors through Venia Group. Beyond business, Kola develops emerging leaders through multiple platforms, combining his Harvard education and faith-driven approach to address wealth inequality and unlock Africa's prosperity.
Rushdi Ibrahim
Global Food Service Executive
With nearly 30 years in the food service industry, Rushdi Ibrahim leads as Group CEO of Allied Food Confectionery Services & WOW Creamery (Burger King Nigeria & Kinglace Ice Cream). His impressive career includes leadership roles at McDonald's and SUBWAY across Asia's high-growth markets. Combining strategic vision with community engagement, Rushdi focuses on expansion while creating employment opportunities and fostering a culture of growth and connection within Nigeria's food service landscape.
Sadiq Rabiu
Presidential Advisor on Capacity Development
As Special Assistant to the President on Capacity Development, Sadiq Rabiu provides strategic counsel on initiatives that strengthen Nigeria's human capital and institutional capabilities. With his expertise in development policy, he works to implement programs that enhance skills, improve governance structures, and position Nigeria for sustainable growth through targeted capacity-building efforts across public and private sectors.
Featured Speakers
Learn from experts and thought leaders in the culinary world.
Joshua Udotai
CTO / Co-Founder, Dinesurf
Joshua Udotai leads Dinesurf's technical vision as an accomplished software engineer and machine learning specialist. With experience developing solutions for Best Buy and Amazon, he transforms restaurant management challenges into elegant technology that streamlines operations from reservation to payment.
Chikodi Ukaiwe
CEO, Salad Africa
A faith-driven founder with 12 years in Africa's tech ecosystem, Chikodi Ukaiwe revolutionizes SME credit access through Salad Africa. His platform combines AI and embedded finance to provide credit infrastructure for digital platforms, enabling them to offer lending solutions to SMEs while helping banks finance credit requests efficiently.
Luther Lawoyin
CEO / Founder, Pricepally.com
Luther Lawoyin leads Pricepally.com, connecting families and businesses to farm-fresh groceries across Nigerian cities. This venture-backed platform serves thousands of customers while addressing food accessibility challenges. A recognized leader in Africa's digital economy with credentials from Alibaba eFounders and MIT Bootcamps, Luther previously founded and exited Lucy.ng, PotatoLagos, and Passjamb.com.ng.
Mrs. Uzo Orimolade
CEO, UzoFoodLabs
Mrs. Uzo Orimolade leads brand strategy and business development at Del-York while also serving as the founder of Uzosfoodlabs. She combines her expertise in brand management with entrepreneurial vision to drive growth and innovative partnerships in both ventures.
Tannaz Bahnam
Founder / CEO, Lost in a City
Born in Iran and educated internationally, Tannaz Bahnam created Lost in Lagos in 2008, which evolved into Lost in a City with multiple platforms including Restaurant Week and a magazine. The entrepreneur launched The Kitchen Nigeria reality show and recently developed Awari App, a discovery platform empowering lifestyle SMEs with customer acquisition tools. She also founded T-Kup Chai Latte, available throughout Lagos and Abuja.
Ted Oladele
CEO, Mira
Ted leads Mira, a B2B SaaS company equipping restaurants with essential tools for success in a competitive industry. During his 6+ years as VP of Design & Product Development at Flutterwave, he played a key role in scaling the company from 20,000 to over 1,000,000 merchants globally, leading teams in product development, design, and marketing.
Toheeb Bakare
Vertical Lead for Food and Entertainment, OPay
With over 20 years in banking and digital finance, Toheeb Bakare brings expertise from Guaranty Trust Bank, Access Bank, and Stanbic IBTC to his role at OPay. His academic background includes an MSc from Royal Holloway and Cambridge certification in Sustainable Finance, enabling him to transform digital payment experiences while maintaining his commitment to integrity and innovation.
Agueniou Tarek
Sales Manager, Glovo
Tarek leads restaurant partnerships at Glovo Nigeria, bringing specialized experience in on-demand delivery and food tech. Previously with Glovo Morocco for 18 months, he excels in business development and market expansion. Tarek represents Glovo at industry events, sharing insights on how technology is transforming food delivery and enhancing accessibility for businesses and consumers.
Become a Speaker
Share your expertise with Nigeria's food community. We're looking for passionate speakers in the following categories:
- Culinary Innovation
- Food Sustainability
- Restaurant Management
- Food Technology
- Agricultural Insights