Prince Chukwuemeka is a climate tech and cybersecurity expert and the co-founder of Poca Techhub. In this interview woth KINGSLEY ALUMONA, he speaks about his work and how to make the climate safe.
YOU studied Microbiology for your bachelor’s degree and Cybersecurity for your master’s degree. Why the switch in academic and skill programmes?
My journey from Microbiology to Cybersecurity was shaped by my growing awareness of the interconnectedness among human health, environmental sustainability, and digital technology. Microbiology gave me a solid foundation in analytical thinking and data interpretation — skills I found increasingly valuable when I began exploring how environmental changes affect public health. As I became more involved in data analytics and environmental monitoring, I realised the necessity of cybersecurity, especially in safeguarding digital health systems and climate data infrastructures.
Transitioning to a master’s in Cybersecurity and Human Factors at Bournemouth University allowed me to integrate secure system design with AI-driven public health tools. For instance, I developed a Chrome extension for phishing detection, which blends cybersecurity with AI. Today, this combination empowers me to develop climate-focused technologies that are not just innovative but secure, resilient, and ethical — especially as I build tools like climate-health dashboards and groundwater contamination classifiers.
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Tell us about your journey into AI technologies, data analytics, web/software development, and climate technology.
I entered the tech world with a deep curiosity about data — how it shapes insights, influences decisions, and ultimately solves real-world problems. My journey began with self-taught programming and evolved into data science, AI, and full-stack development. Over time, my work converged on using these tools for the public good, particularly in environmental sustainability and health.
Climate technology has become my primary focus. I have built AI-powered dashboards integrating rainfall, vegetation indices, and clinic data to visualise health risks in climate-vulnerable areas. Simultaneously, I work in full-stack development to deploy secure, responsive platforms and in cybersecurity to ensure data integrity. AI is the core of it all — whether for predicting groundwater contamination or mapping oil spills in Bayelsa State.
Which pressing environmental challenges do you want major stakeholders in the technology industry to address?
One of the most urgent challenges is the lack of real-time, high-resolution environmental data, especially in developing countries. Climate-induced health risks, groundwater pollution, and urban flooding often go unmonitored due to data inaccessibility.
Another issue is technology equity. Many African communities do not benefit from climate-tech innovations due to infrastructure gaps and a lack of localisation. Stakeholders should invest in low-cost, AI-enabled, community-centred tools — from mobile weather alert systems to affordable sensors.
Finally, oil spill remediation and plastic pollution in coastal areas are under-addressed. Tech companies can help by building satellite-driven detection models and partnering with local innovators.
What are the latest AI tools and technologies that can help solve Nigeria’s climate problems?
I spoke about this at a conference hosted by Geosoft Global Hub at Port Harcourt, Rivers State, in 2023, themed ‘AI for Cyber Resilience in Africa’s Climate Tech Sector.’
On the other hand, in this regard, I will offer an upgraded answer to this particular question. AI tools like Google Earth Engine, TensorFlow, and Streamlit are revolutionising climate tech. Earth Engine allows us to analyse satellite data in near real-time for oil spill detection, flood mapping, and land use monitoring. TensorFlow supports the development of machine learning models that predict environmental hazards. I have used it to cluster groundwater pollution zones using KMeans and PCA.
Additionally, tools like XGBoost and Scikit-learn offer lightweight but powerful algorithms for classification tasks, helpful in predicting flood risk or identifying deforestation zones. Combining these with open-source dashboards in Streamlit ensures findings are accessible to policymakers and the public.
How are you or your start-up, Poca Techhub, contributing to the solutions to the climate problems facing Nigeria?
My team and I are actively deploying AI-powered tools that help visualise and respond to climate risks. For instance, we built an interactive dashboard integrating rainfall and NDVI scores with local clinic data to monitor climate health risks in real time.
We are currently developing a Google Earth Engine prototype to detect oil spills using NDWI and NDBI indices, providing critical data for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and local governments. At a community level, we run workshops on sustainable practices, digital tools, and environmental awareness. Through Poca Techhub and my GitHub projects, we are contributing to a pipeline of tech-enabled climate innovators across Nigeria.
How would you advise the government on the investment in climate and environmental technologies?
I have succinctly addressed this question in my previous media intervention on this matter. Some of the advice can be found in my TechCabal publication titled ‘Nigeria’s climate needs strategic govt, citizenship interventions – Chukwuemeka, tech expert’ and in my Saturday Tribune article titled ‘AI for climate resilience: How African innovators are leading the charge’.
However, that notwithstanding, I would advise the government to prioritise data infrastructure investment in open environmental datasets, weather stations, and earth observation systems. This is foundational for building any AI or digital intervention. Second, support local tech hubs and research institutions with grants and partnerships. They are closer to the problems and often more agile in developing localised solutions.
Third, invest in AI literacy at scale, and train civil servants, farmers, and educators on how to use predictive tools for agriculture, disaster planning, and water management. Lastly, incentivise public-private collaborations around clean energy, emissions tracking, and urban resilience through tax relief and innovation grants.
What is the role of ordinary Nigerians in ensuring that the climate is safe?
Every Nigerian has a part to play. From reducing plastic waste to planting trees to reporting illegal dumping or oil spills, individual actions matter. Awareness is the first step. Tech-savvy Nigerians can contribute by building or using open-source tools that monitor environmental risks. Farmers can use mobile weather alerts and soil sensors. Students can join climate clubs. Developers can contribute to open environmental datasets or build apps for eco-monitoring.
Most importantly, citizens must demand accountability from polluters and support green policies. A climate-safe future is only possible when both governments and citizens act together.
What policies/technologies should the Nigerian government adopt from countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, China, and the like to effectively tackle climate problems?
From the US, Nigeria can adopt community-based environmental surveillance systems, including public dashboards that visualise real-time air and water quality data. From the UK, adopt policies on green urban planning and climate risk disclosure — requiring businesses and municipalities to report on their carbon footprints and disaster preparedness. From China, we can borrow models for AI-powered pollution tracking, using drones and sensors to identify and mitigate industrial emissions.
Across all examples, the core principle is data-driven environmental governance, where policy is informed by continuous, transparent, and citizen-accessible data streams.
Cybercrime and theft, unfortunately, are rampant in Nigeria, and their perpetrators are difficult to apprehend. If you are appointed by the Federal Government to use your skills to apprehend these cyber criminals, how would you go about it?
I would begin by creating a national cyber threat intelligence platform using AI to monitor suspicious traffic patterns, phishing attempts, and dark web activity in real time. Next, I would lead the development of machine learning models for anomaly detection across digital payment systems, websites, and public databases. Training is also key. I would collaborate with institutions to build a pipeline of ethical hackers and forensic analysts, supported by state-of-the-art labs. Lastly, I would strengthen cross-border collaboration with platforms like Interpol’s Cybercrime Directorate and advocate for updated cyber laws aligned with global standards.
What role would you like universities and other research institutions to play in the development of innovative local AI solutions that would put Nigeria on par with developed countries?
Universities should be incubators of real-world innovation. I envision them developing applied AI curricula that partner with industries, local governments, and NGOs to solve pressing problems. They should host data hackathons, offer grants for climate-tech or agri-tech tools, and maintain publicly accessible datasets for research and innovation. Research institutions must also publish open-access papers, build cross-disciplinary labs, and collaborate globally. By making AI education practical and inclusive, Nigerian universities can produce not just researchers but also changemakers and entrepreneurs.
Do you have a medium through which you create awareness of AI and cybersecurity, or a platform through which you mentor young people and youths in these areas?
Yes. I am deeply committed to mentorship and digital awareness. Through Poca Techhub, we have mentored over 250 young people in data science, AI, and web development. We organise bootcamps, webinars, and collaborative projects. On GitHub, I maintain open-source repositories for climate tools, and on social media, I share educational content on AI ethics, cybersecurity tips, and innovation opportunities for African youths.
