Gift Ojeabulu
Gift Ojeabulu is a data scientist, AI/ML practitioner, and community builder with over six years of experience at the intersection of artificial intelligence, software engineering, and developer advocacy. He has led and scaled global AI communities, including growing Iterative.ai’s community to over 30,000 data, ML, and AI professionals worldwide. Gift has curated hundreds of technical content pieces annually and has worked with AI startups such as Deci AI and DagsHub to shape developer relations and content strategies for highly technical audiences. He is a four-time AWS Community Builder in Machine Learning and AI, serving as a board advisor to DevNetwork (USA) in the areas of artificial intelligence and developer advocacy.
As the co-founder of Data Community Africa (DCA), the largest Black data and AI community on the continent, Gift has led initiatives that support education, open-source collaboration, and professional growth, including the African Data Community Newsletter, which reaches over 2,500 subscribers across 80 countries. He has contributed to major ecosystem efforts such as DatafestAfrica and leads the Lagos MLOps community, where he focuses on practical MLOps, large language models, and open-source AI development. Through his work, Gift actively advances Africa’s data and AI ecosystem by connecting local talent to global opportunities and fostering sustainable innovation.
Session
Imposter syndrome affects engineers everywhere, but underrepresented professionals often face amplified self-doubt due to geography, limited access, and systemic biases. In this talk, I share my 7-year journey as an African AI engineer building global impact from outside major tech hubs. From founding DataFestAfrica and leading remote AI opportunities to getting the attention of organizations like Huawei, MongoDB, McKinsey, and AnyScale, I’ll show how community, mentorship, open source, media presence, and strategic partnerships can create opportunities and influence. Attendees will gain practical strategies to overcome self-doubt, expand their reach, and make a meaningful difference in tech, no matter where they are.