Provost Bala is Cornell's 17th provost and chief academic officer, a computer scientist, entrepreneur, and a champion for diversity, equity, and access in higher education. Dr. Bala plays a central role in shaping Cornell’s academic vision and global engagement, and her presence at the Summit will set the tone for a day of critical conversations on Africa’s place in an evolving global landscape.

Edward Mabaya, Ph.D., is a development practitioner with over two decades of experience advancing agricultural markets and food systems across Africa. He previously served as Division Manager at the African Development Bank, leading large-scale investments and partnerships to support the Feed Africa strategy. His work bridges policy, markets, and implementation to drive economic development across the continent.

Chinasa T. Okolo, Ph.D., is a recent Computer Science Ph.D. graduate from Cornell University. Her research focuses on AI governance and safety for the Global Majority, datafication and algorithmic marginalization, and the geopolitical impacts of AI. She is a WBG Africa Fellow, a former Fellow at the Brookings Institution, and has worked in research-based roles at Apple and Microsoft. Her research has been covered widely in media outlets and published at top-tier venues in human-computer interaction and sociotechnical computing.

Lourdes Casanova is a leading expert on global markets and emerging economies, with a focus on how regions such as Africa, Latin America, and Asia are shaping the global economic landscape. At Cornell, she leads the Cañizares Center for Emerging Markets, advancing research and engagement at the intersection of business, policy, and development. Her perspective will contribute to key conversations on innovation, leadership, and Africa’s evolving role in global systems.