1/🇳🇬 The countdown is on for #DLI2026 in Lagos, Nigeria! The @dsfsi_up lab is heading to the Deep Learning Indaba (2–7 August 2026).
Here is a thread of where you can find our team, research, and workshops throughout the week! 👇
www.dsfsi.co.za/blog/dsfsi-a...
Here is a thread of where you can find our team, research, and workshops throughout the week! 👇
www.dsfsi.co.za/blog/dsfsi-a...
July 31, 2026 at 9:22 AM
1/🇳🇬 The countdown is on for #DLI2026 in Lagos, Nigeria! The @dsfsi_up lab is heading to the Deep Learning Indaba (2–7 August 2026).
Here is a thread of where you can find our team, research, and workshops throughout the week! 👇
www.dsfsi.co.za/blog/dsfsi-a...
Here is a thread of where you can find our team, research, and workshops throughout the week! 👇
www.dsfsi.co.za/blog/dsfsi-a...
Next was an interesting talk by Kayode Olaleye on code-switched translations African languages at Data Science for Social Impact www.youtube.com/watch?v=11qC... (4/8)
DSFSI Postdoc Seminar 2025:Kayode Olaleye- Exploring Code-Switched Translation for African Languages
YouTube video by DSFSI Youtube
www.youtube.com
March 13, 2025 at 3:15 AM
Next was an interesting talk by Kayode Olaleye on code-switched translations African languages at Data Science for Social Impact www.youtube.com/watch?v=11qC... (4/8)
Next was an informative talk by Hope Mogale on designing automatic speech recognition systems for African low resource languages at Data Science for Social Impact www.youtube.com/watch?v=bARY... (3/5)
DSFSI Postdoc Seminar 2025: Hope Mogale - Designing Automatic Speech Recognition Systems African LRL
YouTube video by DSFSI Youtube
www.youtube.com
March 27, 2025 at 2:11 AM
Next was an informative talk by Hope Mogale on designing automatic speech recognition systems for African low resource languages at Data Science for Social Impact www.youtube.com/watch?v=bARY... (3/5)
One highlight of my 2025 retrospective was delivering my inaugural lecture. I still remember watching Prof Tshilidzi Marwala give his at Wits when I was a student, that sense of occasion never left me.
youtu.be/hwefANMnSxo?...
youtu.be/hwefANMnSxo?...
Beyond the Symbols: Natural Language Processing as an Adaptive Problem - Prof. Vukosi Marivate
YouTube video by Data Science for Social Impact (DSFSI)
youtu.be
December 27, 2025 at 6:13 AM
One highlight of my 2025 retrospective was delivering my inaugural lecture. I still remember watching Prof Tshilidzi Marwala give his at Wits when I was a student, that sense of occasion never left me.
youtu.be/hwefANMnSxo?...
youtu.be/hwefANMnSxo?...
My Inaugural Lecture is now online 🎥
Beyond the Symbols: Natural Language Processing as an Adaptive Problem
I reflect on my journey in advancing AI & NLP for African languages, tackling data scarcity, building communities & imagining inclusive futures.
👉 www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwef...
Beyond the Symbols: Natural Language Processing as an Adaptive Problem
I reflect on my journey in advancing AI & NLP for African languages, tackling data scarcity, building communities & imagining inclusive futures.
👉 www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwef...
September 4, 2025 at 5:58 AM
My Inaugural Lecture is now online 🎥
Beyond the Symbols: Natural Language Processing as an Adaptive Problem
I reflect on my journey in advancing AI & NLP for African languages, tackling data scarcity, building communities & imagining inclusive futures.
👉 www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwef...
Beyond the Symbols: Natural Language Processing as an Adaptive Problem
I reflect on my journey in advancing AI & NLP for African languages, tackling data scarcity, building communities & imagining inclusive futures.
👉 www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwef...
Watch our NEDLAC panel discussing AI, decent work, and inclusive growth with Anisa Khan, Thandile Zonke, Prof. Michael Sachs & Nozipho Tshabalala.
Africa must move from being passive consumers of foreign AI to active R&D
Watch the panel & Q&A here: youtu.be/654-8cmUTNs
Africa must move from being passive consumers of foreign AI to active R&D
Watch the panel & Q&A here: youtu.be/654-8cmUTNs
NEDLAC Summit 2026: AI Panel - Advancing Inclusive Growth and Decent Work in the Age of AI
YouTube video by Data Science for Social Impact (DSFSI)
youtu.be
September 6, 2026 at 11:58 AM
Watch our NEDLAC panel discussing AI, decent work, and inclusive growth with Anisa Khan, Thandile Zonke, Prof. Michael Sachs & Nozipho Tshabalala.
Africa must move from being passive consumers of foreign AI to active R&D
Watch the panel & Q&A here: youtu.be/654-8cmUTNs
Africa must move from being passive consumers of foreign AI to active R&D
Watch the panel & Q&A here: youtu.be/654-8cmUTNs
Next was a compelling talk by Shaimaa Lazem on community-centered practices for African language digitization at @dsfsi.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoLM... (7/8)
Decolonising AI: Community-Centred Practices for African Language Digitisation | Prof. Shaimaa Lazem
YouTube video by Data Science for Social Impact (DSFSI)
www.youtube.com
June 9, 2026 at 6:38 PM
Next was a compelling talk by Shaimaa Lazem on community-centered practices for African language digitization at @dsfsi.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoLM... (7/8)
At DSFSI, we’re already building that bridge:
💬 Advancing multilingual NLP for African languages
🎙️ Collecting 3 000+ hours of local speech via the ZA–African Next Voices project
⚖️ Creating fair dataset licensing frameworks
🤝 Partnering with Masakhane, Deep Learning Indaba 3/
💬 Advancing multilingual NLP for African languages
🎙️ Collecting 3 000+ hours of local speech via the ZA–African Next Voices project
⚖️ Creating fair dataset licensing frameworks
🤝 Partnering with Masakhane, Deep Learning Indaba 3/
November 12, 2025 at 3:22 PM
At DSFSI, we’re already building that bridge:
💬 Advancing multilingual NLP for African languages
🎙️ Collecting 3 000+ hours of local speech via the ZA–African Next Voices project
⚖️ Creating fair dataset licensing frameworks
🤝 Partnering with Masakhane, Deep Learning Indaba 3/
💬 Advancing multilingual NLP for African languages
🎙️ Collecting 3 000+ hours of local speech via the ZA–African Next Voices project
⚖️ Creating fair dataset licensing frameworks
🤝 Partnering with Masakhane, Deep Learning Indaba 3/
Next was an interesting talk by Jean Louis Fendji on the datafication blind spot in African AI policy at @dsfsi.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVew... (13/14)
Beyond Dataset Creation:The Datafication Blind Spot in African AI Policy-Jean Louis Fendji
YouTube video by Data Science for Social Impact (DSFSI)
www.youtube.com
June 12, 2026 at 5:32 PM
Next was an interesting talk by Jean Louis Fendji on the datafication blind spot in African AI policy at @dsfsi.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVew... (13/14)
Next was an excellent talk by @vukosi.bsky.social on natural language processing for low resource languages and the importance of Africans developing their own solutions at @dsfsi.bsky.social youtu.be/hwefANMnSxo?... (5/8)
Beyond the Symbols: Natural Language Processing as an Adaptive Problem - Prof. Vukosi Marivate
YouTube video by Data Science for Social Impact (DSFSI)
youtu.be
September 4, 2025 at 1:01 AM
Next was an excellent talk by @vukosi.bsky.social on natural language processing for low resource languages and the importance of Africans developing their own solutions at @dsfsi.bsky.social youtu.be/hwefANMnSxo?... (5/8)
First was a great talk by Oleg Lavrovsky on building large models in the public sector at
@dsfsi.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO8u... (2/6)
@dsfsi.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO8u... (2/6)
Apertus: Democratising the Foundation for Global Sovereign AI Oleg Lavrovsky DS4Society Seminar 2026
YouTube video by Data Science for Social Impact (DSFSI)
www.youtube.com
August 14, 2026 at 3:17 PM
First was a great talk by Oleg Lavrovsky on building large models in the public sector at
@dsfsi.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO8u... (2/6)
@dsfsi.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO8u... (2/6)
Coverage of the work of DSFSI Lab member, and AfriDSAI emerging fellow Dr Seani Rananga <> PhD study develops AI to spot fake news in SA languages
PhD study develops AI to spot fake news in SA languages
Multilingual AI study aims to expand language coverage and address deepfakes, hate speech and online harm
www.timeslive.co.za
July 31, 2026 at 2:27 PM
Coverage of the work of DSFSI Lab member, and AfriDSAI emerging fellow Dr Seani Rananga <> PhD study develops AI to spot fake news in SA languages
6/6 🤝 If you are attending #DLI2026 in Lagos, make sure to catch our talks, join our workshops, and visit our posters!
Read the full lab announcement on our blog 👇
www.dsfsi.co.za/blog/dsfsi-a...
Read the full lab announcement on our blog 👇
www.dsfsi.co.za/blog/dsfsi-a...
July 31, 2026 at 9:22 AM
6/6 🤝 If you are attending #DLI2026 in Lagos, make sure to catch our talks, join our workshops, and visit our posters!
Read the full lab announcement on our blog 👇
www.dsfsi.co.za/blog/dsfsi-a...
Read the full lab announcement on our blog 👇
www.dsfsi.co.za/blog/dsfsi-a...
Next was a great talk by @kimonkieslich.bsky.social on socio-technical evaluations of AI systems at @dsfsi.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-WJ... (4/6)
🤖 Is AI Shaping Our Future—Or Are We Shaping AI?
YouTube video by Data Science for Social Impact (DSFSI)
www.youtube.com
July 28, 2026 at 2:48 PM
Next was a great talk by @kimonkieslich.bsky.social on socio-technical evaluations of AI systems at @dsfsi.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-WJ... (4/6)
First was a great talk by Idris Abdulmumin on quantifying LLM generation emotion gaps across African languages at Data Science for Social Impact www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5nj... (2/11)
DSFSI Postdoc Seminar 2025:Idris Abdulmumin- Bridging the Gap in NLP for Low Resource Languages
YouTube video by DSFSI Youtube
www.youtube.com
March 20, 2025 at 2:20 AM
First was a great talk by Idris Abdulmumin on quantifying LLM generation emotion gaps across African languages at Data Science for Social Impact www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5nj... (2/11)
Let's see if this form factor of compute will take off. We just received a DGX spark last week at DSFSI. Thank you to NVIDIA for the research grant.
Now this -> Asus Ascent GX10 |
Now this -> Asus Ascent GX10 |
ASUS Ascent GX10｜Desktop AI supercomputer｜ASUS Global
Desktop personal AI supercomputer with 1petaflop performance. Powered by NVIDIA GB10 Grace Blackwell from DGX Spark. Compact, efficient for AI developers.
www.asus.com
November 11, 2025 at 7:24 AM
Let's see if this form factor of compute will take off. We just received a DGX spark last week at DSFSI. Thank you to NVIDIA for the research grant.
Now this -> Asus Ascent GX10 |
Now this -> Asus Ascent GX10 |
💡 Call for contributors!
📥 Organizers – Submit PRs to add/update event deadlines: github.com/dsfsi/deadlines
💻 Developers – Help integrate new ML-deadline features: github.com/dsfsi/deadlines/pull/7
Let’s grow AI & Data Science in Africa! 🚀
📥 Organizers – Submit PRs to add/update event deadlines: github.com/dsfsi/deadlines
💻 Developers – Help integrate new ML-deadline features: github.com/dsfsi/deadlines/pull/7
Let’s grow AI & Data Science in Africa! 🚀
GitHub - dsfsi/deadlines: :alarm_clock: AI/ML/DS conference/workshop/event deadlines on the African continent
:alarm_clock: AI/ML/DS conference/workshop/event deadlines on the African continent - dsfsi/deadlines
github.com
March 16, 2025 at 9:00 PM
💡 Call for contributors!
📥 Organizers – Submit PRs to add/update event deadlines: github.com/dsfsi/deadlines
💻 Developers – Help integrate new ML-deadline features: github.com/dsfsi/deadlines/pull/7
Let’s grow AI & Data Science in Africa! 🚀
📥 Organizers – Submit PRs to add/update event deadlines: github.com/dsfsi/deadlines
💻 Developers – Help integrate new ML-deadline features: github.com/dsfsi/deadlines/pull/7
Let’s grow AI & Data Science in Africa! 🚀
🚀 AI/ML/DS Deadlines 4 Africans – Updated!
🗓️ New deadlines added for:
✅ DLI 2025
✅ DSA 2025
✅ ACVSS 2025
✅ SACAIR2025
Plan your paper submissions & workshop participation across Africa!
🔗 Website: mldsafrica.co.za
🔗 Contribute: github.com/dsfsi/deadlines
1/n
🗓️ New deadlines added for:
✅ DLI 2025
✅ DSA 2025
✅ ACVSS 2025
✅ SACAIR2025
Plan your paper submissions & workshop participation across Africa!
🔗 Website: mldsafrica.co.za
🔗 Contribute: github.com/dsfsi/deadlines
1/n
March 16, 2025 at 9:00 PM
🚀 AI/ML/DS Deadlines 4 Africans – Updated!
🗓️ New deadlines added for:
✅ DLI 2025
✅ DSA 2025
✅ ACVSS 2025
✅ SACAIR2025
Plan your paper submissions & workshop participation across Africa!
🔗 Website: mldsafrica.co.za
🔗 Contribute: github.com/dsfsi/deadlines
1/n
🗓️ New deadlines added for:
✅ DLI 2025
✅ DSA 2025
✅ ACVSS 2025
✅ SACAIR2025
Plan your paper submissions & workshop participation across Africa!
🔗 Website: mldsafrica.co.za
🔗 Contribute: github.com/dsfsi/deadlines
1/n
The future? Interdisciplinary labs that merge cybersecurity, law, and language AI.
Watch the full spotlight session here:
👉 www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bD9...
Check out the full workshop archive:
👉 www.dsfsi.co.za/blog/ai4d-25... (4/4)
#InfoSec #AfricanAI #DSFSI #AIResearch
Watch the full spotlight session here:
👉 www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bD9...
Check out the full workshop archive:
👉 www.dsfsi.co.za/blog/ai4d-25... (4/4)
#InfoSec #AfricanAI #DSFSI #AIResearch
April 23, 2026 at 7:29 AM
The future? Interdisciplinary labs that merge cybersecurity, law, and language AI.
Watch the full spotlight session here:
👉 www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bD9...
Check out the full workshop archive:
👉 www.dsfsi.co.za/blog/ai4d-25... (4/4)
#InfoSec #AfricanAI #DSFSI #AIResearch
Watch the full spotlight session here:
👉 www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bD9...
Check out the full workshop archive:
👉 www.dsfsi.co.za/blog/ai4d-25... (4/4)
#InfoSec #AfricanAI #DSFSI #AIResearch
The real question isn’t Do Africans want chatbots?
It’s: Do our technologies deserve African voices?
Let’s design AI that listens before it speaks — rooted in Ubuntu, co-created with our communities, and driven by generosity and shared purpose.
#AfriCHI2025 #AI #HCI #Africa #Ubuntu #DSFSI 4/
It’s: Do our technologies deserve African voices?
Let’s design AI that listens before it speaks — rooted in Ubuntu, co-created with our communities, and driven by generosity and shared purpose.
#AfriCHI2025 #AI #HCI #Africa #Ubuntu #DSFSI 4/
November 12, 2025 at 3:22 PM
The poster session was electric ⚡ — showcasing the vibrancy of the African AI community.
DSFSI contributions came from:
• Thapelo
• Nontokozo
• Idris
• Takura
(plus work from Seani & Dawit )
DSFSI contributions came from:
• Thapelo
• Nontokozo
• Idris
• Takura
(plus work from Seani & Dawit )
August 21, 2025 at 1:10 PM
The poster session was electric ⚡ — showcasing the vibrancy of the African AI community.
DSFSI contributions came from:
• Thapelo
• Nontokozo
• Idris
• Takura
(plus work from Seani & Dawit )
DSFSI contributions came from:
• Thapelo
• Nontokozo
• Idris
• Takura
(plus work from Seani & Dawit )
This seminar was made possible by the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program (CADFP), and hosted by DSFSI, AfriDSAI, the Dept. of Computer Science, and the Faculty of Health Sciences @ University of Pretoria
#AI4Good #HealthEquity #AfricanInnovation
#AI4Good #HealthEquity #AfricanInnovation
July 12, 2025 at 10:53 AM
This seminar was made possible by the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program (CADFP), and hosted by DSFSI, AfriDSAI, the Dept. of Computer Science, and the Faculty of Health Sciences @ University of Pretoria
#AI4Good #HealthEquity #AfricanInnovation
#AI4Good #HealthEquity #AfricanInnovation
🎓 DSFSI Autumn 2025 Graduations: Celebrating Growth, Collaboration, and Impact
We celebrated our latest group of graduates — from honours to PhD — and the many research journeys that reflect DSFSI’s commitment to collaborative and impactful science.
👉 Read more www.dsfsi.co.za/blog/may-gra...
We celebrated our latest group of graduates — from honours to PhD — and the many research journeys that reflect DSFSI’s commitment to collaborative and impactful science.
👉 Read more www.dsfsi.co.za/blog/may-gra...
DSFSI Autumn 2025 Graduations: Celebrating Growth, Collaboration, and Impact
www.dsfsi.co.za
June 6, 2025 at 7:50 AM
🎓 DSFSI Autumn 2025 Graduations: Celebrating Growth, Collaboration, and Impact
We celebrated our latest group of graduates — from honours to PhD — and the many research journeys that reflect DSFSI’s commitment to collaborative and impactful science.
👉 Read more www.dsfsi.co.za/blog/may-gra...
We celebrated our latest group of graduates — from honours to PhD — and the many research journeys that reflect DSFSI’s commitment to collaborative and impactful science.
👉 Read more www.dsfsi.co.za/blog/may-gra...
🚀 New logo. Same mission.
We’re excited to reveal DSFSI’s updated look — a symbol of our evolution & our values:
💡Collaboration
🤝Responsibility
🧭Openness
✊Agency
💞Generosity
#DSFSI #AI4Good #NLP4SocialImpact
We’re excited to reveal DSFSI’s updated look — a symbol of our evolution & our values:
💡Collaboration
🤝Responsibility
🧭Openness
✊Agency
💞Generosity
#DSFSI #AI4Good #NLP4SocialImpact
May 20, 2025 at 12:50 PM
🚀 New logo. Same mission.
We’re excited to reveal DSFSI’s updated look — a symbol of our evolution & our values:
💡Collaboration
🤝Responsibility
🧭Openness
✊Agency
💞Generosity
#DSFSI #AI4Good #NLP4SocialImpact
We’re excited to reveal DSFSI’s updated look — a symbol of our evolution & our values:
💡Collaboration
🤝Responsibility
🧭Openness
✊Agency
💞Generosity
#DSFSI #AI4Good #NLP4SocialImpact