Global Center on AI Governance

AI for Local Impact

Technology EN ↓ 7 episodes

Welcome to AI for Local Impact, a podcast exploring how artificial intelligence is shaping development through real-world work supported by the AI4D programme. Each episode goes beyond hype to examine practical uses of AI across the Global South. You’ll hear from researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and builders working close to the ground. This work is produced by the Global Center on AI Governance and funded by Canada’s International Development Research Centre and the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. Learn more at ai4d.ai.

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Global Center on AI Governance

Episodes

Ep 7: Making Space for Africa’s Languages in AI 20.05.2026 32:33

Who gets to be heard in the digital age? In this episode of AI for Local Impact , we speak with Professor Vukosi Marivate to explore why language inclusion is central to responsible AI on the continent. While most AI systems are built in dominant global languages, Africa’s rich linguistic diversity remains underrepresented in digital platforms and machine learning models. The African Languages Lab...

Ep 6: LLM's - All or Nothing for Africa 12.05.2026 36:23

Should Africa go all in on large language models, or is that a bet the continent can't afford to make? This episode brings you a spirited debate on one of the most pressing questions in African AI development: Should LLMs be the cornerstone of the continent's AI strategy, or is diversifying into other technologies the smarter play? On one side, advocates argue that LLMs are a historic oppo...

Ep 5: Scaling AI Responsibly: AfriAI’s Vision for an Inclusive Future 28.04.2026 34:16

In this episode of AI for Local Impact , we head to Tanzania to explore how the AfriAI Lab at the University of Dodoma is advancing responsible, inclusive AI across sectors such as health, agriculture, and education. We speak with Mohamedi Mjahidi about the lab’s vision, flagship projects, and why Africa must shape its own AI future. AfriAI's work focuses on developing innovative AI solutions, and...

Ep 4: Regulate or Innovate? The AI Debate 14.04.2026 35:11

In this special episode, members of the AI4D Network debate on one of the biggest questions in AI today: Does regulation hinder AI innovation? One side says yes, regulation slows discovery, burdens new players, and lets bureaucracy win over breakthroughs. The other side pushes back, without rules, there's no trust, no accountability, and ultimately, no adoption. Both sides made compelling argu...

Ep 3: How One Center Is Shaping Burkina Faso's AI Future 31.03.2026 24:15

In this episode of AI for Local Impact, Prof. Tegawendé Bissyandé explores how the Centre of Interdisciplinary Excellence in Artificial Intelligence for Development (CITADEL) in Burkina Faso is building the foundations of a thriving AI ecosystem. From launching the country’s first Master’s programme in AI to advancing innovation in health, agriculture, and local languages, CITADEL is addressing cr...

Ep 2: Ghana's Responsible AI Lab Story 16.03.2026 19:21

In this episode, Professor Jerry John Kponyo introduces us to the Responsible AI Lab (RAIL) at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana. RAIL isn't your typical research lab. It's a multidisciplinary hub where AI meets real-world challenges in agriculture, health, energy, and education with responsibility baked in from the start. Prof. Kponyo takes us behind their work r...

Ep 1: Inside Makerere's Centre for AI 03.03.2026 23:27

In Episode 1 of the AI For Local Impact Podcast, Dr. Joyce Nakatumba-Nabende takes us inside the Makerere University Centre for AI in Uganda. She walks us through some of their flagship projects which include computer vision models that detect crop diseases in the field and speech recognition systems that deliver agricultural guidance in local languages. We also explore how the lab is investing in...