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Omoniyi Lawson | Digital Development 🇳🇬🌏

@likebezalel

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A little bit of education, governance, health & development.
Figuring out how technology can make good work better.
Currently exploring @prostasense

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For as long as I can remember, I have been driven by one question, "What can we do to make this work or better?"

This mindset has fueled my passion and capacity development in digital development across Governance, Digital Safety, Education, and now, Climate action.

When we launched the Smart Climate Awareness, Learning and Empowerment (SCALE) for Net Zero project about a year ago, with funding support from the United Kingdom government through the Digital Access Program (DAP) of the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (@foreignanddevelopmentoffice), we set out to understand technology-led greenhouse gas emissions, how they contribute to the overall carbon footprint, and how we can actively mitigate them.

We had several deliverables, from a technical report to developing an academic paper, building a learning management system for both adults and children, creating a 26-episode podcast, country-wide stakeholder consultative workshops, and developing a carbon footprint calculator to help individuals and organisations alike calculate, measure, visualise and report their carbon footprint and possible ways of mitigating it.

Working on the methodology for calculating a contextually relevant carbon footprint for Nigeria exposed me to the world of climate change and the dire need to mitigate carbon emissions.

As a nation, we aim to achieve Net Zero in 2060, but as individuals, how can we contribute to this?

The answer is on our deliverables for this project, and you can access them on scale.areai4africa.org

Take Action Today!

#Filiuslaw #LikeBezalel #NetZero #ClimateAction #DigitalFootPrint #CarbonFootPrint #DigitalFutures #FutureForward #ScaleforNetZero by @likebezalel

I believe we need to start recognising that we do not all have the same starting point, access to opportunities or even the same pathways to acquiring skills. If we are serious about building an inclusive future, we must rethink how we recognise skills, design digital tools and prepare young people for the world of work.

One challenge we do not discuss enough is the gap between the skills people have and the skills the labour market recognises. Many people, particularly those working in underserved communities and the informal sector, acquire valuable competencies through apprenticeships, informal learning and practical experience. Yet they remain shut out of formal employment because they lack conventional qualifications. Nigeria’s National Skills Qualifications Framework offers a way to recognise those skills, but employer awareness and adoption still need to improve.

The same thinking applies to digital tools. We have to build with people, not just for them, so that accessibility is shaped by their realities and not by the technology we want to push. This also means building for people’s worst days, not their best, whether they are dealing with unreliable internet, limited electricity, low-end devices or varying levels of digital literacy.

At @areai4africa, we apply the multiplier effect by equipping teachers with tools that can improve learning for the many students they support. The idea is simple. By strengthening one teacher's capacity, we can potentially extend the benefits to an entire classroom.

As a nation, we also need to define what the future of work means to us. Our development priorities and sectoral needs should inform the competencies we need, and those competencies should shape our curricula. Stronger partnerships between academia and industry can then turn research into innovation and new economic opportunities.

We should not only prepare young people for jobs that exist today. We should build an education and innovation ecosystem that enables them to participate in and shape tomorrow’s economy.

Thank you, @futureforward_inc, @ilead4africa, @thegrowinggirll_ and @digitalactivistcoded

#Filiuslaw #LikeBezalel #FutureForward #AI by @likebezalel

For the last four months, I have been researching anthropomorphism (where we attribute human characteristics to machines or non-human things) and explaining it to the people I have been training. I have been especially interested in how that habit shapes the way we trust and interact with AI systems.

What I find particularly interesting is how easily it happens. We give systems personalities, read intention into their responses, and sometimes take their ability to sound empathetic as evidence that they understand us.

Lately, I have been thinking about what this means for religion.

AI can quote scripture, discuss God, and offer what sounds like thoughtful spiritual guidance. But what happens when we begin to confuse the ability to speak convincingly about faith with the experience of faith itself?

I do not think the question is simply whether AI can get things wrong. It is whether our perception of the system influences how much authority we are willing to give it. And perhaps that is where discernment becomes important because not everything that sounds wise is wisdom, and not everything that feels understanding is understanding.

I am still thinking through the implications of this, but I am interested in how others see it.

#Filiuslaw #LikeBezalel #FutureForward #AI by @likebezalel

Innovation Judge Spotlight: Omoniyi Lawson

Omoniyi Lawson brings a sharp, technical eye to the iVolunteer Africa 2026 judging panel. As the Director of Product, Data & Technologies at AREAi, his expertise lies in building scalable digital solutions and leveraging data to drive real-world social impact. He knows how to look at a pitch and spot what is structurally sound, scalable, and grounded in the actual needs of the community.

We are pleased to welcome him to the conference in Abuja, where he will evaluate the innovative ideas presented by young changemakers, bringing a crucial perspective on how technology and data can be used to build solutions that last.

📍 Abuja, Nigeria
🗓 October 20–22, 2026

Join us in Abuja as we explore pathways to community development and democratic participation across Africa.

Register now: https://bit.ly/4wlwa6o

#iVolunteerAfrica #technology #digitalinclusion #YouthLeadership #socialimpact by @likebezalel

A while ago, I responded to a few questions on the learning crisis, the role of technology in education, and why impact evaluation matters in understanding what actually works.

Technology can expand access. Innovation can create new possibilities. But neither is a substitute for understanding the learner, the context, and the evidence.

For me, the more important question is not simply “Can technology improve education?”

It is: “Under what conditions, for whom, and with what evidence?”

A few thoughts from the conversation.

#Filiuslaw #Likebezalel #Technology #Evaluation #Impact by @likebezalel

A lot of people I know tell me I have no social life, and I jokingly tell them that social lives are for people who do not work in social impact... lol

But how much can a person pour without being filled?

I have met a lot of people doing amazing work, and more often than not I see almost the same trajectory. They give and give until there's nothing left, and then they quietly disappear from the work they loved.

Somewhere along the way, we started treating exhaustion as proof of commitment. We celebrate the ones who burn out for the mission, and we rarely ask what the mission owes the people carrying it.

True commitment should be measured by sustainable impact over time, not by how quickly someone can run themselves empty.

#Filiuslaw #LikeBezalel #FutureForward #Burnout #SocialImpact by @likebezalel

If you want to go far, go together.

Today marks 18 months of building, learning, and growing at Tunani. As we hit the 18-month mark, our Board sat down to reflect, align and set pathways for the road ahead.

We want to say a huge thank you to the founding Board for sharing our vision and guiding us every step of the way. We are honoured to have your strategic expertise in our corner.

To our team and everyone supporting the Tunani journey, thank you for being part of our story. We are just getting started!

We are building to last! by @likebezalel

It is important to say again that Innovation does not start in big institutions alone, but also in classrooms, in conversations, and with people who are observant enough to identify gaps and bold enough to design solutions.

On Wednesday last week, I spent hours at Nile University of Nigeria for the Red Bull Basement Innovation workshop, and what stood out most was not just the ideas, but the conversations behind them.

After the general session, I sat with them one after the other; a notebook, their devices and honest questions to help refine their ideas. Each student walked me through their concept, and together we unpacked it.

You could see the shift in real time. What started as “I want to build an app” became “I am solving this specific challenge for this defined group.” Their ideas became clearer, more focused, more intentional, and in that clarity, confidence grew.

Now that I am thinking about it, I am reminded that sometimes, all an innovator needs is someone willing to sit down, listen deeply, and ask the right questions.

If you are a student with a solution to a real problem in your community, don’t hold back, take advantage of the platform on www.redbullbasement.com to brainstorm, refine, pressure-test and submit your idea. Opportunities like Red Bull Basement are built for bold thinkers willing to take their ideas seriously.

The future is already thinking. It just needs more spaces for clarity.

#Filiuslaw #LikeBezalel #Innovation #RedBullBasement #Nigeria TechForGood @redbullng by @likebezalel

I have had the incredible privilege of serving alongside some of the brightest minds from around the world, solving problems that challenge our communities and witnessing lives literally transform in front of our eyes because of solutions we have created and continue to refine.

This year has been about more than ideas; it has been about action, connecting people to opportunities, building tools and fostering partnerships that turn vision into tangible, lasting impact. Each milestone, each email, each moment of trust reflects collaboration, belief, and shared purpose. These achievements are not mine alone; they belong to every mentor, partner, funder, and friend who walked this journey with me.

Thanks to organisations like @areai4africa, @ukinnigeria, @internetsociety, @unesco, @commonpurpose, and @chathamhouse_org, where we can stand and continue turning ideas into action.

We can only move forward.

#Filiuslaw #Likebezalel #FutureForward by @likebezalel

We can not achieve digital transformation by skipping the fundamentals.

Digitisation turns information into data.
Digitalisation makes that data useful.
But transformation? It happens when people, systems, and technology align around a shared vision.

The real question is, are we ready to build systems that truly serve the people they were designed for?

#Filiuslaw #LikeBezalel #DigitalTransformation #SystemsChange #Innovation #DigitalNigeria #DigitalInclusion #FutureFoward by @likebezalel

GIVE YOUR ALL

Improve yourself

Welcome to March...

📷 @jibolaojediran

#Filiuslaw #LikeBezalel #Sustainability #DigitalFutures #FutureForwardf by @likebezalel

Do we really need aid? What is the goal of sustainability if, after 60+ years and billions of dollars in aid, we still require assistance as a continent?

Why has so much aid failed to deliver the economic transformation seen elsewhere? Is it too much, or never enough? Has it helped or hindered? Can it be useful and productive, or should it be stopped? These are the core questions addressed in Greg Mills’ book Expensive Poverty: Why aid fails and How It Can Work.

Sustainability should mean that, over time, recipients develop the capacity to operate independently, build resilient economies, and even transition into aid providers.

History shows that aid, when effectively utilized, can be a stepping stone to self-sufficiency. After World War II, Germany was in ruins, but strategic economic policies and the Marshall Plan’s financial assistance helped rebuild its industries, leading to its “economic miracle.” Similarly, once a struggling nation with high unemployment and scarce resources, Singapore used targeted aid and foreign direct investments to transform itself into a global economic hub.

So why hasn’t Africa followed this trajectory? Is aid truly about development, or is it a tool for influence and control? Is there an inherent bias at play? Are we being held back, or are we holding ourselves back?

It is time for an honest conversation. What do you think?

To be continued... Influence and Manipulation: The Cost of Aid

#Filiuslaw #LikeBezalel #Africa #Development #DigitalDevelopement #Sustainability #FutureForward #EconomicGrowth by @likebezalel