Support to Artificial Intelligence Learning (SAIL)

International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada

Artificial Intelligence for Development (AI4D) Implementation Committee Meeting

Somone, Senegal, November 29 - December 1, 2022

From left to right: Dr. Mathew Smith, Senior Program Specialist, International Ddevelopment Research Centre (IDRC), Dr. Jerry John Kponyo, Principal Investigator, Responsible Artificial Intelligence Lab (RAIL), Ghana, Edmund Aplerh-Doku, Principal Investigator, Support to Artificial Intelligence Learning Project (SAIL), Ghana, Ana Androsik, CEO, Feminist Data and Research, Canada, Dr. Mouhamadou Lamine, RAIl Satellite Lab Senegal, Gillian Dowie, Senior Program Specialist, IDRC

Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and Sweden’s government agency for development cooperation (Sida) have funded an ecosystem of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Development in Africa (AI4D Africa) since 2020 comprising of three labs, five innovation research networks, two policy centers, a policy network, and two organizations running innovation small grants; with the objectives of promoting innovation in AI, researching policy to inform and facilitate the development of public policies and regulations that promote the inclusive benefits of AI, and  amplifying the talent of African innovators and institutions.

Feminist Data and Research was contracted by IDRC to engage the stakeholders executing that work to clearly define a vision, strategic direction and decision-making system to be led by the implementing organizations of the Artificial Intelligence for Development Africa Initiative (AI4D) ecosystem. While these projects and their funding partners individually had visions and objectives, there was a need to address the following questions for the ecosystem from the perspective of the project participants and other key stakeholders:

1. What was the vision of the AI4D Africa program as a contributor to the AI ecosystem in Africa (and the use of AI to advance public goods and address key sustainable development challenges where the market may not currently be contributing)?
2. What strategic directions should the ecosystem be headed in?
3. How should the AI4D program make strategic, evidence-informed decisions on its evolution?

FDR proposed an African-led process and methodology founded in facilitation and feminist monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL), for defining a vision for the ecosystem and producing the outlines of a blueprint for future smart funding. Facilitation included brainstorming workshops, evaluation of ideas, and consensus building including organizing and facilitating a large conference inSenegal.

On the Left: Ana Androsik, CEO, FDR, host for the workshop in Senegal, Dr. Eric  Tchao, Head, International Partnerships, RAIL, Francis Nuwame, SAIL Project Facilitator

On the Right: Ana Androsik, CEO