AI4D-Lab

......

A well-attended event by Students, Academia, Innovators and Experts of the Artificial Intelligence for Development (AI4D) Africa’s Anglophone Multi-disciplinary Research Lab from The University of Dodoma (UDOM) and The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST) met in Dodoma, Tanzania for a two-day hybrid workshop with the main theme “Embracing AI for Africa’s Sustainable Development”. The event was officially inaugurated by the UDOM's Vice Chancellor, Prof. Lughano Jeremy Kusiluka, who re-affirmed his university's commitment to supporting the project and how emerging technology such as Artificial Intelligence is supported by the Third National Five Year Development Plan of Tanzania. The event included topics from responsible AI, ethics, governance, policy, AI research, machine learning, and its real-world applications across the continent. In a nutshell, the workshop focused on Research Development and Innovation (RDI). 

The workshop brought together high-quality, multidisciplinary, responsible AI applications and experts in one room to contribute to the uptake of Artificial Intelligence in Africa. The workshop was noticeably multidisciplinary and gender-inclusive voices across the Anglophone Africa landscape. The workshop featured paper presentations, keynote talks, AI solutions demonstrations, and interactive panel discussions. The workshop explored issues around four thematic areas: Healthcare, Agriculture and Environmental Conservation, Digital Economy and Small-Scale Enterprises, and AI Infrastructure and Data Ecosystem.

Sharing comes in so many forms; I will try to recall a few that stood out.

👉#aiMOM shed a light on the social media, cultural and gender behaviours, and additional perspective on Morals in AI in Africa since the community is at the heart, with a plea to #Rethink#AI, and #Rethink being #human. Fun use cases, and applications on the continent, with an ethical, legal and moral deep dive within the topic of "Responsible AI and Moral Responsibility".

👉 ITU delivered a compelling reach and access to experts building a brighter Africa. It was complimented by building blocks on the unification of the AI-Enabled Health Referral System (HRS). As a pioneer, the new "Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence in Tanzania Health Sector" is a good step in AI implementation in a sensitive sector - health. This is again complimented by the 1^st day opening keynote that included the importance of AI Governance and how to approach it within the context of Africa.

👉Sustainable Development in the age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution highlighted the importance of ensuring a SWOT analysis from all perspectives, including that of 4IR in policy making and policy frameworks. Other talks on application use cases in Africa included areas of Health-tech, and Agri-tech applications, which covered sniffing rats and prediction accuracy, freely shared amongst all. #sustainableAI

👉 The Academic institutes are becoming more innovative. The Sokoine University of Agriculture is leading in Building IT Curriculum to Foster Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Mindset in Tanzania, #Data in Action: Digital Ecosystem and Emerging Tools for Education (Hybrid). #Edutech

Illustrated the benefit of conversations and collaboration and how it has led to enabling environments across Africa. #buildafrica

Reported by Ms. Lavina Ramkissoon - Chairperson (Thought Leader Expert in AI) and Reviewed by Dr. Jabhera Matogoro.

Disclaimer: Views expressed here are solely those gathered by the author(s) and should not necessarily be construed as those of any organs, agencies, or other organizations mentioned or discussed. This blog is released under the cc-by-sa 4.0 license, and translation into other languages is encouraged.