Abiola Salami, founder, The Peak Performer (TPP) Africa, and convener of EMERGE, said the annual summit aim to bridge the gap between machine intelligence and human insight in celebration of this year’s International Youth Day 2025.
“We want to show young people how to blend humanity and technology. You can learn to code, but you must also master emotional intelligence and human connection,” Salami said during a recent media parley held at the American Corner in Ikeja, Lagos.
EMERGE 2025, the 3rd in a series themed, ’21st Century Intelligence – Artificial or Emotional?’ According to Salami, the annual youth summit is designed to help young Africans navigate leadership in a rapidly evolving digital world.
According to him, EMERGE 2025 will he held simultaneously in Lagos and Abuja on August 19, in partnership with the U.S. Consulate and American Spaces, featuring expert panels, workshops, mentorship, and networking sessions targeted at final-year students, early-career professionals, startup founders, campus leaders, and creatives.
A key highlight is the EMERGE Innovation Fund, which will award a N500,000 grant to the most promising youth-led idea solving a real-world challenge in business, tech, or social development.
Finalists will pitch live before a jury of international and local experts. The winner will also receive a 6-month mentorship with TPP faculty, and gain access to visibility platforms and global coaching resources.
Salami also discloses that EMERGE is leveraging a mentorship platform known as GREET, currently hosting over 1,000 young people across the continent.
“Not every young person has a godfather. Some face systemic odds. But EMERGE is here to help them thrive despite those odds,” Salami said.
Victoria Uwadoka, corporate affairs and communications lead at Nestle Nigeria, urged young Nigerians to use artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance their productivity while staying grounded in their personal, cultural, and emotional context.
According to her, young creatives must learn to harness AI without losing the unique value that emotional intelligence brings to leadership and decision-making. “Artificial intelligence is a powerful assistant, but it cannot replace human judgment, context, or creativity.”
She also stressed the need for young Nigerians to lead with human intelligence, strategy, and context. “AI is a tool not a leader or strategist. AI will never replace your creativity,” Uwadoka said.
