A distinguished moment of recognition and leadership
The Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD) paid a courtesy visit to the Executive Governor of Lagos State, His Excellency, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, during which the Governor of the Year Award was formally presented.
Today UN Secretary General @antonioguterres announced what he says is the first global, fully independent scientific body dedicated to "helping close the AI knowledge gap and assess the real impacts of AI across economies and societies."
The UN received more than 2600 applications and final 40 members of the group have been sent to the UN General Assembly for sign off.
The list is experts from all over the world and comprises 19 women and 21 men.
"The panel will help the world separate facts from fakes, and science from slop," Guterres told reporters at the UN. "It will provide an authoritative reference point at a moment when reliable, unbiased understanding of AI has never been more critical."
The experts the SG is proposing for the panel are people from machine learning, data governance, public health, cybersecurity, childhood development and human rights, among other fields.
The panel's first report is expected by July and work will go on for about two years.
⬇️Names of experts picked/country or origin ⬇️
(And X handle where applicable)
Girmaw Abebe Tadesse (Ethiopia)
@girmawAT
Tuka Alhanai (United Arab Emirates)
@tukaalhanai
Joëlle Barral (France)
Yoshua Bengio (Canada)
@Yoshua_Bengio
Tegawendé Bissyandé (Burkina Faso)
Loreto Bravo (Chile)
@lbravoc
Mark Coeckelbergh (Belgium)
@MCoeckelbergh
Carlos Coello Coello (Mexico)
Melahat Bilge Demirköz (Türkiye)
@BilgeDemirkoz
Adji Bousso Dieng (Senegal)
@adjiboussodieng
Awa Bousso Dramé (Cabo Verde)
@DrAwaBDrame
Mennatallah El-Assady (Egypt)
@melassady
Hoda Heidari (Iran)
@HodaHeidari
Juho Kim (Republic of Korea)
@imjuhokim
Anna Korhonen (Finland)
@annalkorhonen
Aleksandra Korolova (Latvia)
@korolova
Vipin Kumar (USA)
Sonia Livingstone (UK)
@Livingstone_S
Qinghua Lu (Australia)
@qinghualu
Teresa Ludermir (Brazil)
Vukosi Marivate (South Africa)
@vukosi
Bilal Mateen (Pakistan)
@Bilal_A_Mateen
Yutaka Matsuo (Japan)
Joyce Nakatumba Nabende (Uganda)
@j_nabende
Andrei Neznamov (Russia)
Maximilian Nickel (Germany)
@mnick
Rita Orji (Nigeria)
@ritapurity
Román Orús (Spain)
@OrusRoman
Alvitta Ottley (Saint Kitts and Nevis)
@alvittao
Martha Palmer (USA)
Johanna Pirker (Austria)
@JoeyPrink
Balaraman Ravindran (India)
@ravi_iitm
Maria Ressa (Philippines)
@mariaressa
Lior Rokach (Israel)
@LiorRokach
Piotr Sankowski (Poland)
@piotrsankowski
Silvio Savarese (Italy)
@silviocinguetta
Bernhard Schölkopf (Germany)
@bschoelkopf
Haitao Song (China)
Leslie Teo (Singapore)
Jian Wang (China)
@JianWang
MIPAD has appointed Mwende Mbevi as Canada Country Director, ahead of the 2026 release of the Top 10 Most Influential People of African Descent to Watch in Canada
Read more 👇🏿👇🏿
https://t.co/YvsgdtVnCK
A decade of influence. A future of greater impact.
As we step boldly into 2026, MIPAD proudly celebrates its 10th Edition—ten years of recognizing, amplifying, and honoring the Most Influential People of African Descent across the globe.
inspiring future generations, and shaping a more inclusive and impactful global narrative. From all of us at MIPAD, we wish you a prosperous, purposeful, and inspiring New Year.
Highest Honor of the Night - CEO OF THE YEAR - Dr. Karl Olutokun Toriola @MTNNG with his Executive Team and Board Chairman Dr. Earnest Ndukwe – Godfather of GSM in Nigeria. Thank you @MTNNG
A distinguished moment of recognition and leadership
The Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD) paid a courtesy visit to the Executive Governor of Lagos State, His Excellency, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, during which the Governor of the Year Award was formally presented.
Looking back to an incredible launch of MartellOnTheMove
Unveiling two iconic symbols, The Swift Ascendant and The Voyager. A tribute to the soaring spirit, and audacious legacy of Maison Martell.
Each symbol is an invitation to stand out. Tag a friend who defies expectations.