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The Africa Office of the Harvard Center for African Studies (CAS) invites you to REGISTER for the inaugural Technology and Innovation in Africa Webinar on October 26, at 10am ET | 4pm CAT. This webinar series, which will extend through April 2024, will convene Africa’s leading technologists to explore the impact of new technologies in various sectors and the implications of rapid technological deployment for African society and the continent’s growth and development.
In this session, a panel of speakers will examine the role and impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), including the risks and tradeoffs policymakers must consider in designing national regulations and policies. Professor Demba Ba, the Gordon McKay Professor of Electrical Engineering at the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, will moderate the panel conversation followed by a Q&A session.
REGISTER TO ATTEND THE WEBINAR HERE
MODERATOR:
Professor Demba Ba
Demba Ba is Gordon McKay Professor of Electrical Engineering at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS). Ba directs the Computation, Representation, and Inference in Signal Processing Group at SEAS. His lab’s recent research has focused on using artificial neural networks and deep learning to understand signal processing in the human brain and develop explainable artificial intelligence.
Ba earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland, then pursued a master’s degree and Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer science at MIT. He joined SEAS in 2015, and was named Director of Undergraduate Studies in Bioengineering in 2020. He is a 2016 Fellow in Neuroscience of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and 2021 recipient of the Roslyn Abramson Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching by the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
PANELISTS:
Ms. Lavina Ramkissoon
Conscious Creator I Top 10 women advancing AI I Top 100 Women in Leadership I African Trailblazer I Iconic Leader I Chairperson I #aiMOM
Creating a more intelligent tomorrow
Awards include Top 10 women advancing AI, VentureBeat finalists in responsible AI, Top 100 Women in AI Ethics, African Trailblazer, Top 100 women leader and Top 20 women to look up to.
Futurist leader standing for the unification of the African tech space. She is a conscious tech
proponent with expertise in psychology, technology and economics and their applications into AI, blockchain, emerging tech, ethics and data. A catalyst that has served as chairperson, director and founder across multiple industries, sectors, and technologies - aiming to unlock the potential of the African arena. Humanizing technology and actively serving as a growth enabler for tech talent across the globe. Often referred to as someone trailblazing through the continent accompanied with her inspirational-ally iconic outlook to unlock and be the consciousness for Africa.
Professor Vukosi Marivate
Prof Vukosi Marivate is an Associate Professor of Computer Science and holds the ABSA UP Chair of Data Science at the University of Pretoria. He specialises in developing Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods to extract insights from data, with a particular focus on the intersection of ML/AI and Natural Language Processing (NLP). His research is dedicated to improving the methods, tools and availability of data for local or low-resource languages. As the leader of the Data Science for Social Impact research group (https://dsfsi.github.io/) in the Computer Science department, Vukosi is interested in using data science to solve social challenges. He has worked on projects related to science, energy, public safety, and utilities, among others. Prof Marivate is a co-founder and CTO of the Lelapa AI (https://lelapa.ai/), an African startup focused on AI for Africans by Africans. Vukosi is a chief investigator on the Masakhane NLP project (https://www.masakhane.io/), which aims to develop NLP technologies for African languages. Vukosi is also a co-founder of the Deep Learning Indaba, the leading grassroots Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence conference on the African continent that aims to empower and support African researchers and practitioners in the field.
Dr. Alistair Mokoena
Dr. Alistair Mokoena is the Country Director for Google South Africa. His academic qualifications include Bcomm, LLB, Management Development Programme (MDP), Executive Development Programme (EDP), MBA and PhD in Business Administration. He is a qualified Chartered Marketer with 25 years corporate experience. He spent the first half of his career in the following roles: Brand Manager at Unilever, Senior Brand Manager at Tiger Brands, Marketing Manager SABMiller, Marketing Director at Mondelez and Absa bank respectively.
Dr Mokoena has dedicated the second half of his career to executive roles in the advertising, media and technology industries, as well as academia. He was previously Managing Director of FCB Advertising Agency and Group Chief Executive Officer of Ogilvy South Africa where he spearheaded their digital transformation journey and presided over Ogilvy’s record-setting award wins. He has received many industry awards over the years including the Global Brands’ Best Advertising and Marketing Leader in South Africa in 2019.
He joined Google in April 2020 as Country Director for South Africa. His role involves managing Google’s commercial operations in Southern Africa and collaborating with customers and social partners in accelerating Africa’s digital transformation. Bridging the digital divide is an ideal that inspires Dr Mokoena to ensure that Africa benefits from Google’s technology.
Dr Mokoena previously served on a number of Marketing and Advertising industry bodies in the following capacities: Deputy Chairman of the Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA), Chairman of the Integrated Advertising Bureau (IAB), member of the Advertising Regulatory Board’s (ARB) Final Appeal Committee, founding member of the Johannesburg Business School’s International Advisory Board, and member of the University of Johannesburg’s Institute for Intelligent Systems’ Advisory Board. He currently serves on the Advisory Board of the North West University Business School, and is a board member for the American Society of South Africa.
Dr Mokoena is an Extraordinary Professor of Practice at the North-West University Business School, an external examiner for Botho University in Botswana, a postgraduate supervisor at Vega School and a Council member at the University of Johannesburg. He has published articles in academic journals, contributed book chapters, reviewed several books and delivered papers at international academic conferences. He recently finished writing his first book, “Servings of self-mastery” which will be published in November 2023.
He coaches young professionals, mentors Small Micro and Medium Enterprises and is a regular guest speaker at international business schools and at industry events. He is passionate about the role that responsible Artificial Intelligence can play in making the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals a reality in our lifetime.