The Responsible Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (RAIL) at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi in collaboration with the Responsible Artificial Intelligence Network (RAIN) -Africa has organised a 2-day conference on the theme ‘Responsible AI and Ethics- A Panacea to Digital Transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa’ on 13th to 14th March 2022 at the Great Hall.

The conference brought together stakeholders from academia, industry, and political actors in Africa and Europe to discuss the design and development of Ethical and responsible artificial intelligence-responsive frameworks that seek to spearhead the digital transformation agenda of countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

In his opening remarks, the Provost of the College of Engineering, Professor Kwabena Biritwum Nyarko, expressed his delight as KNUST is the first partner University to host the first RAIN International Conference. He stated that AI is rapidly evolving and making transformational strides in various fields and noted that the College of Engineering that houses the RAIL remains a dependable partner for the development of responsible AI.

Professor Nyarko believes that the Conference would yield fruitful deliberations and exchange of ideas that would contribute to shape the future of AI.

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor (Mrs.) Rita Akosua Dickson in her remarks noted that KNUST has the mandate to conduct high-quality and impactful research to drive the developmental agenda home and abroad. She added that the strategic plan of the University seeks to position KNUST as a beacon of hope as far as quality university education in the sub-region is concerned.

Professor Dickson mentioned that Artificial Intelligence holds a lot of promise and is seen as a game changer in transforming the digital economy. It is, however, instructive to mention that the development and deployment of AI solutions must be done responsibly.

‘‘It is within this context that I find the theme for this Conference “Responsible AI and Ethics – A panacea to Digital Transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa,” most appropriate. The rights and privileges of a person must not be trampled upon in deploying AI solutions; additionally, datasets based on which models are trained should not be biased’’, she emphasised.

The Vice-Chancellor was hopeful that the Conference will be engaging and offer researchers and practitioners within the AI ecosystem an opportunity to share their findings with the rest of the world. ‘It is my hope that through this Conference we can avert our minds to the need to apply AI for good and responsibly,’ she stressed.

According to the Co-Founder of RAIN, PI and Scientific Director of RAIL-KNUST, Professor Jerry John Kponyo the theme for the Conference was directly in line with the SDG 17 which requires institutions to collaborate in achieving sustainable development goals.

Professor Kponyo indicated that the KNUST team through funding from IDRC and GIZ has set up a Responsible Artificial Intelligence Lab (RAIL) to serve as a vehicle for building capacity in the responsible use of AI in the sub-region. This Lab has satellite labs in Senegal and the Republic of Cabo Verde and supporting labs in Germany.

He added that RAIL has taken the initiative of working with Senior High Schools within the sub-region to build capacities of students in robotics by setting up robotics clubs with the intention of providing the needed support for those who will want to consider STEM as a career. He further seized the opportunity to thank all the stakeholders for their immense support and contributions towards the realisation of the vision.

Solidarity messages were taken from officials of RAIL-RAIN. Dr. Caitlin Corrigan, Director, and Co-founder, RAIN, IEAI/TUM, Germany lauded the teams from RAIL-RAIN for the warm reception. She explained that her outfit supports and coordinates interdisciplinary research, undertakes research projects as well as provides  platforms for partnership between stakeholders impacted by AI.

Also, Nadine Dammaschk gave her remarks on behalf of GIZ Fair Forward Germany. She said that AI is an integral part of their mandate at GIZ, therefore, the Conference among other things would ensure the ethical use of responsible AI in the Sub-region.

The conference saw an open panel discussion and presentations that allowed participants to discuss questions and proposed solutions as well as suggestions on various topics such as; ‘‘Approaches to promoting Responsible AI in Africa; AI in Agriculture, Healthcare and Finance; AI and Digital/Human Rights; and the Role of Afrocentric Datasets in promoting responsible AI in Africa.’’