Fulbright Scholar and Norman Borlaug Fellow, Dr. Abdelaziz Lawani is a researcher and serial social entrepreneur whose works tackle the world most pressing problems. The social impact of his works led him to feature among the 35 under 35 young innovators in francophone countries in 2016 and the Clinton Foundation honour roll in 2017. He is also the founder of Global Partners, a start-up that provides drones solutions for agriculture, land use planning, surveillance and conservation of natural resources. He is also a founding member of Africa Goes Digital, a consortium of 40+ businesses that develop digital solutions in Africa and, finally, he is the Director of Benin Flying Labs a West African hub that uses robotic to address challenges faced by underserved population at the local level.

Dr. Lawani’s work lies at the intersection between economics, agriculture, and artificial intelligence. He has a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Kentucky and completed a master’s degree in Economics at North Carolina State University. Prior to his studies in the U.S he also received a master’s degree in Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology and a Bachelor in Agronomy in Benin, his home country. Dr. Lawani is currently a Faculty member in the Department of Agriculture at Eastern Kentucky University where he continues to translate his researches into concrete solutions for development while promoting social enterprises on the African continent.