Gbenga Sesan

Gbenga Sesan (born 27 July 1977) is a social entrepreneur who delivers Information and communications technology to underserved people.[1] He has had a career in the application of Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) – for individuals, institutions, nation-states, regional entities and the international community.

'Gbenga Sesan
Born
Oluwagbenga Olabisi Sesan

Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria
NationalityNigerian
Other namesOlabisi
Alma materObafemi Awolowo University
OccupationSocial Entrepreneur
Known forICT For Development, ICT Policy, Capacity Building

Education

Sesan (born Oluwagbenga Olabisi Sesan on July 27, 1977) is the Executive Director of Paradigm Initiative.[2] He graduated as an Electronic and Electrical Engineer at Obafemi Awolowo University in the year 2002.[3] Sesan completed Executive Education programs at Lagos Business School, New York Group for Technology Transfer, Oxford University, Harvard University, Stanford University, Santa Clara University and University of the Pacific.

Career

Sesan is a former member of the United Nations Committee of eLeaders on Youth and ICT.[4]

He is a CyberStewards Fellow,[5] Crans Montana Forum Fellow,[6] Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellow, Ashoka Fellow,[7][8] Our Common Future and Cordes Fellow.[9]

Sesan served as a member of the Presidential committees on Harmonization of Information Technology, Telecommunications and Broadcasting Sectors (2006),[10] and Roadmap for the Achievement of Accelerated Universal Broadband Infrastructure and Services Provision (2013),[11]

In 2016, Gbenga revealed that at the end of 2017, he would hand over his role as CEO to someone else to pursue policy.[12]

In 2022, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres appointed Gbenga to serve on his inaugural Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Leadership Panel.[13]

Publications

Sesan has written five books and numerous published works.

“Wh@t’s Next? The Future of the Information Society - A Youth Perspective” was edited by Youth for Intergenerational Justice and Sustainability, and TakingITGlobal. Featuring young authors from every continent, the book describes what young people are doing with ICT, and attempts to describe the direction of the Information Society.

Sesan also contributed towards the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa's “Africa Networking: Development Information, ICTs and Governance[14]”. He wrote the chapter titled, "African Youth in the Information Society".

In November 2005, Sesan completed editorial work on “Global Process, Local Reality: Nigerian Youth Lead Action in the Information Society[15]”, which was presented at the World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis.

"ICTs for Development: The Challenges of Meeting the Millennium Development Goals in Africa"[16] was published by Nigerian Communications Commission/Growing Businesses Foundation/Club of Rome in September 2006 and featured a chapter on "Telecentres in Nigeria" by Sesan.

He authored an autobiography, In My Own Words,[17] in 2009. It was published by London-based Imprimata Publishers.

Some of his published works include Digital Lifestyle of Connected Nigerians,[18] Echoes From Ajegunle: Stories of Transformed Lives, From Small Steps to Giant Leap[19], ICTs for Development: A Social Entrepreneur’s Perspective[20], Ajegunle.org: Changing Ajegunle, 25 Youths at a time[21] and Social Enterprise in Africa: An Emerging Concept in an Emerging Economy[22]

Family

Sesan lives in Lagos. He is married to Temilade.[23]

Honours and awards
  • 2012 Listed by CNN as one of the 10 Leading African Tech Voices on Twitter[24]
  • 2012 Listed by Ventures Africa as one of 40 African Legends Under 40[25]
  • 2014 Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2014[26]

References
  1. "Gbenga Sesan: Connecting a Million". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2017-03-14.
  2. 'Gbenga Sesan, Executive Director, Paradigm Initiative Nigeria
  3. Sesan, 'Gbenga (2009). "OAU honors Ndukwe with honorary Doctor of Technology". Vanguard. Nigeria. Retrieved 1 February 2009.
  4. "Project TIG". TIG Web. Talking IT Global. 2001.
  5. "CyberStewards Member, Paradigm Initiative Nigeria". Archived from the original on 2014-03-25. Retrieved 2015-08-08.
  6. "2010 New Leaders For Tomorrow". Crans Montana. crans Montana. 2010. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Extraordinary Crans Montana Forum
  7. "Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellow". African Leadership Institute. African Leadership Institute. 2007. 2007 Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellow
  8. "Ashoka Fellow". Ashoka. Ashoka. 2008. ASHOKA INNOVATORS FOR THE PUBLIC
  9. "Our Common Future and Cordes Fellow". Our Common Future. Our Common Future. Common Future and Cordes
  10. "Nigeria - FG Moves to Restructure Telecom Sector". Siemens. Siemens
  11. "Meet Nigeria's broadband road map cartographers". Bunmi Adeniyi. 2012. Technology Times
  12. "We (Nigerian Youth) are a generation of excuse givers -- Gbenga Sesan, founder PIN". techpoint.ng. 10 October 2016. Retrieved 2017-03-09.
  13. Internet Governance Forum Leadership Panel United Nations, press release of 16 August 2022.
  14. Sesan, 'Gbenga (2004). African Youth in the Information Society in Africa Networking: Development Information, ICTs and Governance (with Mihyo, P.). Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. pp. 125–139. ISBN 978-90-5727-052-9.
  15. Sesan, 'Gbenga (2005). Global Process, Local Reality: Nigerian Youth Lead Action in the Information Society. Lagos, Nigeria: Paradigm Initiative Nigeria. ISBN 978-068-094-2.
  16. Sesan, 'Gbenga (2006). Telecenters in Nigeria. Abuja, Nigeria: Nigerian Communications Commission/Growing Businesses Foundation/Club of Rome. pp. 263–272. ISBN 978-070-671-2.
  17. Sesan, 'Gbenga (2009). In My Own Words. London: Imprimata. ISBN 978-1-906192-33-4.
  18. Sesan, 'Gbenga (2010). Anthology of Abstracts of the 3rd International Conference on ICT for Africa. Yaoundé, Cameroon: International Center for IT and Development.
  19. Sesan, 'Gbenga (February 2010). "From Small Steps to Giant Leaps: Putting Research into Practice". Engineers Without Borders (UK) National Research Conference 2010 Journal: 106–108.
  20. Sesan, 'Gbenga (February 2009). "The Social Dimensions of Engineering Research". Engineers Without Borders (UK) National Research Conference 2009 Journal: 243–249.
  21. Sesan, 'Gbenga; Nwosu, U. (December 2007). "Ajegunle.org: Changing Ajegunle, 25 Youths at a time". Telecentre Magazine. 1. 1: 41–42.
  22. Sesan, 'Gbenga (October 2006). "Educational Research and Reviews". International NGO Journal. 1. 1: 4–8.
  23. "Temilade and 'Gbenga". T & G. ‘Gbenga Sesan. 2009. Temi and 'Gbenga
  24. "10 African tech voices to follow on Twitter". CNN. CNN. 2012.
  25. "FORTY-FORTY: A COMPENDIUM OF YOUNG AFRICAN LEGENDS". Ventures Africa. Ventures Africa. 2012.
  26. Schwab. "The Social Entrepreneurs Year 2014". Schwab Foundation. Schwab Foundation. Schwab Foundation
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