The people behind Mizani AI Policy — MAP.
Founder
Founder
Abubakar Musa Saulawa is an AI governance and policy researcher, data scientist and computer scientist with a law degree (LLB), based in Abuja, Nigeria. His background spans natural language processing, machine learning and AI and law. He is the founder of the Open Mentorship Initiative and a former President of the Mathematics and Computer Science Association.
LinkedInFounding team
We are pleased to introduce our first leads. We are still building our founding team of volunteers across Africa and the diaspora, and more team members will be introduced here.
Lead, Cybersecurity and Digital Safety
Cybersecurity analyst based in Gombe State, Nigeria, with hands-on experience in security monitoring, incident response and vulnerability assessment.
Sunusi is a cybersecurity analyst based in Gombe State, Nigeria, with hands-on experience in security monitoring, incident response and vulnerability assessment. He has worked as a cybersecurity analyst intern at the Bank of Industry and TAJ Bank and at ICDFA (International Cyber Security and Digital Forensics Academy), and has carried out an authorised penetration test on a live web application.
He is also passionate about security awareness. Sunusi designed and delivered a cybersecurity awareness programme for more than 250 students across Gombe State, reporting a 90% improvement in digital safety awareness scores.
He is a graduate of the Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) at Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), India, and also holds a National Diploma in Computer Science from the Federal Polytechnic Mubi and a professional certificate in Cybersecurity and Ethical Hacking.
At Mizani, Sunusi will help safeguard our digital platforms and data, and support digital safety training as part of our capacity-building work.
Lead, Data and Technical Systems
Computer Science graduate of Gombe State University with practical training in cybersecurity and applied machine learning.
Yusuf is a Computer Science graduate of Gombe State University with practical training in cybersecurity and applied machine learning. His final-year project, RePaSX, is a Python tool that uses machine learning to detect and validate web application vulnerabilities such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting and server-side request forgery. He has also worked as a cybersecurity intern, carrying out vulnerability assessments and penetration tests on client systems.
He holds a Professional Certificate in Web Application Security and is a Certified Cybersecurity Instructor, bringing both technical depth and a passion for teaching.
At Mizani, Yusuf will lead the data and technical systems behind our MAP tracker, from how we structure and visualise AI policy data to how we keep it accurate and secure.
Lead, Legal Research (AI and Law)
Nigerian law student, legal researcher and LegalTech entrepreneur working at the intersection of law, technology, AI and access to justice.
Umar is a Nigerian law student, legal researcher and LegalTech entrepreneur working at the intersection of law, technology, AI and access to justice. He is pursuing an LL.B at Northwest University Sokoto and is a member of the Forensics Investigators Society.
He is the Founder and Chief Innovator of LegalTech Innovators Ltd., building technology-driven solutions for legal practice and access to justice, and the Lead Convener of Kano TechConnect and Arewa Tech Community, which connect young innovators across Northern Nigeria.
In his role, Umar will help lead our research on AI and law, including the legal analysis behind the MAP tracker.
His research interests include AI and law, digital evidence, cybersecurity, human rights and governance. He also serves in student and youth leadership, including as Director-General of the SDGs Directorate of NAMLAS National Headquarters.
Advisers
[Advisers and partner organisations — to be announced]
Gain hands-on experience in AI governance, publish your work and be part of an African-led initiative from day one.