AI4D Network of Labs

Countries

Tanzania, Ethiopia, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Senegal, South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda and Uganda

AI Labs, Language, Health, Agriculture, Education, Climate, Disability Inclusion, Safety

Countries funded solely by the IDRC

Featured Innovation

Gender Bias in ASR Systems

Across Africa, millions of women are excluded from AI by design. Automatic Speech Recognition systems often underrepresent African women’s voices, reducing accuracy and utility. This AI4D Africa project addresses this by creating bias mitigation frameworks, representative datasets, and governance guidelines, empowering researchers to build inclusive speech technology that works for all genders and dialects, shaping equitable AI across the continent.

Go to the Page

Photo Credit: Unsplash

AI4D Network Experts Appointed to UN’s First Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence

The UN General Assembly appointed 40 members to the first standing UN Scientific Panel on AI, tasked with providing independent, evidence-based assessments to guide global AI governance. Three experts from Africa’s AI4D Network of Labs were named, highlighting the importance of including African perspectives in shaping AI policy, promoting safe, transparent, and human-centered AI, and ensuring AI benefits are equitable across the Global South

Read the Story

The AI Network of Labs, supported through the AI for Development (AI4D) initiative, brings together a diverse set of research and innovation laboratories across Africa that collectively advance responsible, locally relevant artificial intelligence research and solutions. These labs operate in multiple countries including Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Mali, Burkina Faso, Senegal, South Africa, Ghana and Nigeria addressing key development challenges in sectors including health, agriculture, education, climate, language technologies, and AI safety and governance.

Each lab focuses on strengthening local capacity and multidisciplinary research, fostering collaboration between universities, governments, industry and civil society to develop AI tools tailored to regional needs. Across the network, labs emphasize ethical, inclusive, and sustainable AI practices, contributing to a growing ecosystem of responsible AI in the Global South