Nnanna John is a Pan-African technology and policy leader championing digital transformation, responsible AI, and youth empowerment across Africa and beyond. He is completing his M.S. in Engineering, Science, and Technology Entrepreneurship through the ESTEEM Program at the University of Notre Dame, where his capstone project with Cielo, a global RPO leader, focuses on the impact of AI in Talent Acquisition.

Born and raised in Nigeria, Nnanna brings over a decade of experience across technology entrepreneurship, startup development, AI governance, and public policy — working across Africa and the United States.

Co-founder,RAD5 Tech Hub

RAD5 is a venture studio in Aba, Southeast Nigeria, supporting over 1,000 software engineers, designers, and startup founders. Under Nnanna's co-founding leadership, RAD5 has launched products with millions of users, been selected among the top 1% of providers nationwide for Nigeria's 3 Million Technical Talents (3MTT) initiative, and run programmes that directly serve SMEs and entrepreneurs:

• ASIR-P — Funded by AfriLabs and the French Development Agency (AFD), this 3-month investment readiness programme supported 300 startups with training in product development, customer validation, and securing funding.
• DBOT — A digital skills programme bridging non-tech SMEs into the digital economy.
• Embracing Digital Campaign — Digital tools and training for 10,000 businesses across Abia State.
• RevUp Women — In partnership with AfriLabs and the Visa Foundation, RAD5 delivered a 12-week incubation programme for women entrepreneurs competing for $8,000 in equity-free funding.

This work directly inspired an AI-powered tool Nnanna is currently building at Notre Dame to help early-stage founders validate product-market fit before chasing growth.

Artificial Intelligence: Practice, Policy & Governance

Nnanna is a certified AI Policy Trainer, trained by Data Science Nigeria (DSN) in cooperation with NITDA and the EU/BMZ-funded Digital Transformation Center Nigeria — a Train-the-Trainer programme equipping 52 participants from 26 institutions across Nigeria's public, private, and civil society sectors. He is formally equipped to deliver AI literacy and policy training to higher institutions and government bodies, covering AI fundamentals, governance frameworks, ethics, and responsible deployment.

He has also conducted original cross-continental research on AI adoption in talent acquisition — examining regulatory barriers and governance imperatives across global organizations — and presented at the 2026 ND Africa Conference on AI, the future of work, and Africa's strategic role in shaping — not just participating in — the global AI economy.

Advisory & Policy Leadership

• Youth Advisory Council,YouthConnekt Africa (Cohort 1, 2025–2027) — one of 10 selected from 100+ applicants across 37 member countries, advising on youth strategy and pan-African development in partnership with UNDP.
• Advisory Member, Abia State Ministry of Digital Economy & SME — appointed to a 9-member committee inaugurated by Governor Alex Otti to guide the state's digital economy agenda.
• Technical Trainer, AU Digital Innovation Fellowship (Cohorts 1 & 2) — delivered through the AfriLabs network for the African Union Commission's flagship tech fellowship programme.

Speaker & Mentor

Mentor at Startupbootcamp, TechMyBiz Accelerator, and One Hackathon (Incubate IND). Speaker at the Africa Internet Governance Forum, NTICE, YALI Abia Summit, NACOS Southeast, DO Global Leadership Program, and the 2026 ND Africa Conference at Notre Dame.

His vision: a pipeline of innovation where startups endure, African talent is retained and empowered, and globally relevant solutions are built from local realities.