By Eve Ruwoko
Article originally published on University World News
If Africa wants to tap into the benefits of the digital economy to address the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), at least 5,000 PhD scholars in the areas of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning must be cultivated over the next five years, according to Professor Tom Ogada, executive director of the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS).
AI enables the creation of tools that can help different sectors predict future challenges and create solutions through research, and the world is rallying behind the application of AI to find and improve solutions in sectors such as health, agriculture and climate action.
“Our institution has done a situational analysis to identify the skills that will be needed to grow the digital economy and we established that there is an existing skills gap in Africa at all levels, from secondary school, through university up to doctoral level,” Ogada said.
According to the findings of the technology and innovation think tank (ACTS), progress in AI research and development has been slowed, in part by limited funding opportunities for academics, as well as by a lack of adequate data resources and infrastructure at universities across the region.
An opportunity for PhD students
Through a new initiative, early-career academics and post-doctoral researchers across the continent can apply for grants to conduct their research.
The project, called The Artificial Intelligence for Development in Africa (AI4D) scholarship programme, is funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and other partners.
“The AI4D Africa scholarship is a new initiative implemented under the digital economy programme and is positioned to respond to the need for our continent to promote the increasing demand for AI and machine learning scholars,” Ogada said.
Twenty PhD students and 12 early-career academics have benefited since the inception of the programme in 2021. At least 20 PhD students are expected to benefit in 2022 as well. The programme is implemented by ACTS, which was founded in Kenya in 1988.
One of the components setting the AI4D programme apart is that it carries complementary short courses such as responsible AI, policy development AI, and intellectual property in AI, which will be taught by instructors from across the globe.
ACTS also aims to build a network of scholars (including all applicants), supervisors and experts to create and nurture a larger base of AI expertise in the region.
Commenting on the initiative, Dr Winston Ojenge, head of ACTS’ digital economy programme, highlighted that, with Africa running behind in AI skills, it was critical to identify and groom some of the talented youths who have completed their post-graduate degrees.
“We are focusing our support on scholars who are trying to drive the SDG areas such as agriculture, health, manufacturing and climate change. One of the biggest issues scholars have been addressing from the start is using AI in agriculture, in disease detection, crop modelling and developing new crop varieties that are drought resistant,” he said.
“Usually, developing new varieties can take up to five to seven years, but, with AI, it would be far less.”
Challenges in AI growth
While there have been huge strides in developing quality graduates, one of the main challenges still affecting the number of scholars in the AI and machine learning disciplines is the lack of quality supervision to ensure the timely completion of research projects.
Ojenge highlighted that a lack of adequate data is yet another drawback affecting progress, hence the need for the region to invest in big data.
“AI and machine learning are about manipulating data, but the availability of quality home-grown data is still a big challenge in Africa. It is, therefore, very difficult to develop home-based solutions based on localised data,” he said.
Furthermore, most students are in universities that lack the infrastructure and equipment to fully pursue AI.
“Devices that run artificial intelligence are called graphic processing units. ACTS has to procure the equipment on behalf of students and a lot has to be imported from developed countries,” Ojenge said.