The Think Tank IPAR is organizing a webinar on the theme “A gender sensitive practice of research in the development and deployment of responsible AI in Africa” on Monday April 24 at 1pm GMT.
IPAR prioritizes reflection and research on technology, particularly Artificial Intelligence, for women’s empowerment in its thematic framework. Promoting gender equality and inclusion in sub-Saharan Africa through artificial intelligence is a key area for the organization and several initiatives, including the GRAIN (Gender and Responsible Artificial Intelligence Network) project.
The upcoming webinar aligns perfectly with the project’s goals of advancing inclusion, equality, and empowerment of women in Sub-Saharan Africa through responsible and localized development and deployment of AI innovations.The main objective of the webinar is to reflect on the challenges posed by structural and systematic barriers to advancing gender equality and inclusion in the AI sector in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The virtual meeting will bring together experts in AI and gender, and will focus on innovative practices and technologies that bridge the gap between AI and gender. It will highlight the importance of using the potential of AI to advance gender equality and reduce gender disparities in the digital sector.
The discussion will be hosted on the Kudo platform and will be in English with French interpretation.
Moderated by Ernest Mwebaze, Executive Director of Sunbird AI, Uganda, the panel will feature the following speakers: Nokuthula Olorunju, Attorney and researcher, Research ICT Africa, South Africa; Dr. Adekemi Omutubora, Senior Lecturer, University of Lagos, Nigeria; Adedeji Adeniran, Director of Research, CSEA Nigeria; Caitlin Kraft-Bruchmann - CEO and Founder of Women at the Table.
Biographies of the speakers
– Moderator: Ernest Mwebaze, Executive Director of Sunbird AI, Ernest Mwebaze is the co-founder of the Makerere University Artificial Intelligence Research Lab. Previously, he worked at the Google AI Research Lab in Ghana and the UN Pulse Lab in Kampala. He is passionate about using artificial intelligence to improve society, especially in developing regions of the world.
– Adekemi Omotubora is a senior lecturer in the Department of Commercial and Industrial Law at the University of Lagos. She is passionate about data protection, digital inclusion and gender aspects of digital technologies and organizes events around these themes.
– Nokuthula Olorunju is an attorney and researcher who holds an LLB and LLM with a focus on Cyberlaw/Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Law. She has written on issues of gender equality, human rights, AI, the judiciary, and is currently pursuing a PhD in the field of human rights and artificial intelligence.
– Adedeji Peter Adeniran is a research director at the Center for the Study of African Economies (CSEA), a development think tank based in Nigeria. His recent work focuses on the intersection of governance, digitization and development in Africa. He is also part of the Gender and Responsible Artificial Intelligence Network (GRAIN) project, which is building a network of institutions around advocacy and research on AI and gender.
– Caitlin Kraft-Buchman is CEO/Founder Women at the Table a gender equality & systems change CSO based in Switzerland and Co-Founder/Leader <A+ Alliance for Inclusive Algorithms. Caitlin was a co-chair of the Expert Group for CSW67 whose theme in 2023 is Technology & Innovation. Caitlin is also co-founder of the International Gender Champions which brings together female & male heads of organizations to break down gender barriers.
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