Members of the Responsible AI Lab (RAIL) participated in the Deep Learning Indaba 2025 in Kigali, Rwanda. As Africa’s largest annual gathering of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) researchers, the Indaba is pivotal for strengthening the continent’s AI community and fostering collaboration.
Amina Salifu (RAIL PhD Student), Albert Dede (RAIL PhD Student), and Juliet Arthur (RAIL Research Assistant) each contributed uniquely to the conference, showcasing RAIL’s commitment to impactful and locally relevant AI research.
Amina Salifu was a standout voice in critical conversations about African data. She was a featured panellist in a discussion on African datasets, where she presented her groundbreaking work on a dataset that captures the rich diversity of accents across Ghana. Her presentation powerfully argued for the necessity of linguistic diversity in AI to ensure technology serves local realities.
She further showcased her research by presenting a poster on a novel Natural Language Processing (NLP) model designed to detect native and non-native English speakers, explicitly focusing on recognising Ghanaian English accents. Her work attracted significant attention and sparked engaging discussions with peers from across the continent.
The pinnacle of her contributions was honoured with an award for her dataset. This prestigious recognition celebrates her dedication and underscores the vital importance of African-led research in the global AI landscape.
Behind the scenes, Albert Dede played a crucial role in upholding the conference’s high standards of research excellence. He served as a judge, meticulously reviewing and scoring 10 poster presentations from emerging African researchers. This role, requiring deep technical expertise, fairness, and critical thinking, allowed him to help identify and celebrate the most innovative projects at the Indaba. His appointment as a judge is a testament to the AI community’s trust in his expertise and RAIL’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of AI talent.
Juliet Arthur participated in high-level discussions on the future of AI in Africa. She was invited to a roundtable with the Canadian High Commissioner, featuring grantees and partners of the Artificial Intelligence for Development (AI4D) programme. The session focused on showcasing achievements, fostering dialogue, and strengthening collaborations to promote inclusive and responsible AI for development.
Additionally, Juliet visited the Transformative Artificial Intelligence Research and Innovation Lab (TAIRI) in Kigali. There, she exchanged ideas with researchers applying AI to address pressing challenges in African agriculture, gaining valuable insights into practical AI applications.
This visit also paved the way for future collaboration. Prof. Damien Hanyurwimfura, Principal Investigator of the TAIRI Lab, expressed his enthusiasm for potential partnerships between TAIRI and RAIL, noting that such collaborations are key to advancing AI research and development across Africa.
RAIL is incredibly proud of Amina, Albert, and Juliet for their outstanding contributions. Their participation at the Deep Learning Indaba reflects our core mission: to develop responsible AI solutions deeply rooted in and responsive to the African context.