Iwendi Leads Global AI Impact Tour Across Egypt, Geneva

Oluchi Chibuzor

The University of Greater Manchester, also known as the University of Bolton, through its Centre of Intelligence of Things, has concluded a high-impact international engagement, led by Professor Celestine Iwendi, Head of the Centre of Intelligence of Things, covering Cairo, Giza, the New Administrative Capital, and Geneva, from October 25 to 29.
The programme featured foundational AI for policy contexts, prompt design, AI-assisted briefing and speech writing, deep search and information extraction, and the transition from manual work to automated workflows.
The two-day executive training was led by the acting Vice-Chancellor, University of Greater Manchester, who was represented by the Assistant Professor Tim Openshaw, with Iwendi, and a Senior Lecturer and Master of Research Coordinator in the Computing Department, Dr. Pradeep Hewage.
Commenting on the event, Iwendi said, “Talent is here. Courage is here. The future is here. From Cairo to Geneva, we saw practical Artificial Intelligence move from idea to implementation. Our task is to make this transformation ethical, human-centred, and measurable.”
The tour, ‘Turn Intelligence Into Trust And Data Into Destiny’, sponsored by the IEEE Communications Society, opened at Nile University in Giza.
Sessions focused on practical artificial intelligence for real-world impact, including supply chain and trade risk, responsible AI and governance for decision makers, agentic AI and trustworthy systems at scale, document and workflow automation for policy and trade operations, and data quality with model transparency and human-in-the-loop assurance.
Openshaw said that “partnership is the engine of impact. We are committed to building capacity with global institutions so that Artificial Intelligence improves policy outcomes and strengthens governance”.
Further engagements at the event included the British University in Egypt, with a keynote on Artificial Intelligence in medical applications, as well as strategic discussions with stakeholders from the Egyptian Customs and Revenue Modernisation team and the Faculty of Pharmacy.
Immediately after Egypt, the team delivered AI for WTO Operations in Geneva as a partnership programme of the University of Greater Manchester and the World Trade Organisation.
The WTO Director-General, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, represented by Dr. Bright Okogu, lauded the quality and relevance of the training, noting the strong spirit of collaboration.
Delivery in Geneva was supported by the Centre of Intelligence of Things research assistants and Master’s in Research scholars, Nengi Aboutorabi and Salome Uwah, whose contributions were vital to participants’ support and facilitation.
Iwendi’s Egypt to Geneva tour deepened collaboration with Nile University, the British University in Egypt, and national agencies, showcasing how Artificial Intelligence can drive revenue generation, healthcare innovation, and digital transformation across public systems. The initiative was supported by Sam Johnson, Head of the School of Arts and Creative Technologies.