AI for Local Impact

Global Center on AI Governance

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.

Episodes

  1. Ep 3: How One Center Is Shaping Burkina Faso's AI Future

    31 MAR

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

    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 critical skills gaps while shaping pathways for ethical and sustainable AI development. Prof. Bissyandé shares insights on strengthening talent pipelines, fostering collaboration between academia and innovators, and what it takes to grow locally grounded AI ecosystems in Africa. This episode highlights how strategic investment in education and partnerships can unlock long-term impact across a country This podcast was made possible by funding from Canada’s International Development Research Center and the UK’s Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office.

    24 min
  2. Ep 2: Ghana's Responsible AI Lab Story

    16 MAR

    Ep 2: Ghana's Responsible AI Lab Story

    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 running coding programmes for girls and training the next generation of AI researchers at PhD level. It's a model that thinks long-term about who gets to shape AI on the continent. The AI for Local Impact Podcast is part of the AI4D programme, supported by IDRC and FCDO.

    19 min
  3. Ep 1: Inside Makerere's Centre for AI

    3 MAR

    Ep 1: Inside Makerere's Centre for AI

    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 the next generation embedding students in research projects that ensure that the AI systems coming out of Uganda are contextually grounded, community-informed, and built to last. AI for Local Impact is part of the AI4D programme, supported by Canada's IDRC and the UK's FCDO.

    23 min
  • 3 Episodes

About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    Global Center on AI Governance
  • Years Active
    2k
  • Episodes
    3
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Global Center on AI Governance
  • Show Website
    AI for Local Impact