AI4D Scholarship Recipients: Enhancing Doctoral and Early Career Research in AI and Machine Learning in Sub- Saharan Africa by Women

This report outlines the second phase and recipients of the Lab for Ethics, Policy and Scaling of AI (LEPSAI) scholarship program to address the significant underrepresentation of women in the African technology landscape. The scholarship program provides financial support and capacity building to women researchers across Botswana, Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, and Uganda. The program targets two specific groups: Early Career Academics, to conduct research and supervise MSc students, and PhD candidates, to finalize their doctoral research. These scholars are developing high-impact AI and machine learning solutions tailored to local needs, such as speech recognition for marginalized languages like Dholuo and Fulfulde, predictive maintenance for mining and oil industries, and advanced diagnostic tools for HIV and skin cancer.