Who I am
Ife Adebayo works at the intersection of government, capital, and technology — the three forces that decide whether Africa's innovators get to build at scale. He is the National Coordinator of the iDICE Programme at Nigeria's Bank of Industry: a $617 million Federal Government investment in digital and creative enterprises, co-financed by the African Development Bank, Agence Française de Développement, and the Islamic Development Bank.
It is a programme he knows from both sides of the table. Before taking on its delivery, Ife spent roughly eight years as Special Assistant on Innovation to the Vice President of Nigeria, where he led the government's technical and policy engagement that culminated in board approval of the iDICE co-financing. In the same period he co-designed the Nigeria Startup Bill — now the enacted Nigeria Startup Act — helped drive the Npower programme that trained and deployed more than 500,000 young Nigerians, and worked on the broadband and digital infrastructure expansion that underpins the country's digital economy today.
Beyond Nigeria, Ife is a Founding Member and Executive Director-designate of the Africa Innovation Council, a continental think tank established in partnership with Princeton University's Africa World Initiative, focused on the policy intelligence and convening power Africa's research and innovation agenda demands.
He trained as an engineer — a B.Eng. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Ilorin — before a postgraduate degree in Business Information Systems at the University of East London, and has worked across Nigeria, the United Kingdom, and Germany. The engineering habit never left: he approaches policy and finance the way engineers approach systems, asking what the design must achieve before asking what it should look like.
Away from the work, Ife is anchored by his Christian faith, family, and a long-running commitment to mentoring young founders and public servants. He believes public service is a stewardship — and that the measure of any programme is not what it announces, but what it leaves standing.
The short version — for event organisers
Ife Adebayo is the National Coordinator of iDICE, Nigeria's $617M digital and creative enterprises programme at the Bank of Industry, co-financed by the AfDB, AFD, and IsDB. He previously served eight years as Special Assistant on Innovation to the Vice President of Nigeria, where he led the government engagement that secured the iDICE co-financing and co-designed the now-enacted Nigeria Startup Act. He is a Founding Member and Executive Director-designate of the Africa Innovation Council, established in partnership with Princeton University's Africa World Initiative. He holds an engineering degree from the University of Ilorin and a postgraduate degree from the University of East London.
From circuits to systems
One thread runs through it all: systems thinking, applied to bigger and bigger systems — from electrical circuits to national policy to continental institutions.
The engineer's grounding
University of Ilorin · University of East London · early career across Nigeria, the UK and Germany
Electrical engineering taught the discipline of designing to constraints; business information systems taught how organisations actually adopt technology. Early professional years across three countries built the habit of translating between technical and institutional worlds — a habit that would define everything after.
The Presidency years
Special Assistant on Innovation to the Vice President of Nigeria
- Co-designed the Nigeria Startup Bill — now the enacted Nigeria Startup Act, the legal foundation of the country's startup ecosystem
- Helped drive Npower, training and deploying more than 500,000 young Nigerians
- Worked on broadband and digital infrastructure expansion — 4G coverage growth and national fibre network build-out
- Built partnerships with the World Bank, UNDP, the EU, and major global technology firms
- Led the government's technical and policy engagement with the AfDB, AFD and IsDB that culminated in board approval of iDICE co-financing
Building institutions before their industries existed
The Innovation Hubs network — under the Office of the Vice President
Within a single season, two firsts opened their doors: the North East Humanitarian Innovation Hub in Yola (June 2018) and, weeks later, the Nigeria Climate Innovation Center at Pan-Atlantic University — the humanitarian and the climate corners of an innovation-hubs agenda Ife led from the government side.
Delivering iDICE
National Coordinator, iDICE Programme · Bank of Industry
- Coordinating the $617M programme across Nigeria's digital and creative sectors
- Kuramo Capital appointed Fund Manager of the DICE Fund of Funds — June 2026
- ₦18.5 billion Startup Debt Fund launched with the Bank of Industry
- $65M non-interest (Murabaha) facility with the IsDB, delivered through six partner financial institutions
- Innovation hubs and Technology Centres of Excellence rolling out across all six geopolitical zones
The continental chapter
Founding Member & Executive Director-designate, Africa Innovation Council
A continental think tank in partnership with Princeton University's Africa World Initiative — building the policy intelligence and convening capacity behind Africa's research and innovation infrastructure agenda.
