Centring Data in African AI

A DLI 2025 Workshop | August 21st 2025, Kigali, Rwanda

This workshop examines the challenges and opportunities surrounding data in African AI through both technical and socio-technical lenses. In particular, it highlights the importance of African data—data collected by or about Africans—as a means for local communities to assert greater agency and ownership within the AI value chain.

By framing data as a foundational resource for AI development, the workshop aims to raise awareness of key concepts such as data licensing, annotation practices, and ethical data stewardship.

It will also provide a platform to discuss the current landscape of the data pipeline, share openly available datasets and tools, and foster connections among researchers, practitioners, and other stakeholders. A final report will be published to document the insights, resources, and outcomes of the workshop.


For questions, issues, feedback, etc, please do not hesitate to reach us via email at centring-data-in-african-ai@googlegroups.com