2025

About

400+ attendees

connect with other researchers and practitioners

50+ speakers

attend a showcase of cutting-edge research and applied AI

4+ tutorials

receive a practical introduction to machine learning for beginners

50+ posters

share your work and get feedback from experts

2+ hackathon problems

get your hands dirty and learn from the best

Demographics

🎤 AI FEST 2025 🖼️

The opening event of Indaba𝕏 South Africa 2025, held at Stellenbosch University. A festive celebration of South African AI innovation, featuring poster sessions, company exhibitions, research showcases, activities, art, music, and food vendors.

Schedule

08h00 - 09h00

Registration

Civil Engineering Building

Check in, collect conference materials, and prepare for an engaging day ahead! Once you’ve checked in, take a stroll around campus and grab some breakfast from one of the vendors.

09h00 - 11h00

Machine Learning Maths 2 number of speakers

M2002

Mr. Thapelo Maupa

Independent Researcher.

A friendly Introduction to the Mathematical Basics for Machine Learning.

Ruan de Kock

InstaDeep

A friendly introduction to the Mathematical Basics for Machine Learning.

Building Science Communication Capacity in Africa 3 number of speakers

S1018

Wiida Fourie-Basson

Stellenbosch University

Workshop: Building Science Communication Capacity in Africa

Mbalenhle Ntuli

Stellenbosch University

Workshop: Building Science Communication Capacity in Africa

Mr. Luther Chipembere

Stellenbosch University

Workshop: Building Science Communication Capacity in Africa

Practical Presentation Skills for Researchers 2 number of speakers

E1025

Ms Katherine Rabik

Beyond the Poster: Practical Presentation Skills for Researchers

Dr. Lili Rademan

Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology (CREST), Stellenbosch University

Beyond the Poster: Practical Presentation Skills for Researchers

11h00 - 11h30

Debate

S1018

11h30 - 12h30

🍽️ Lunch

Civil Engineering Cafeteria

Lunch is served! Fuel up and energize for the afternoon! 🍽️

12h30 - 13h00

Opening Address - Stellenbosch University and Committee

S1018

🎉 Join Stellenbosch University representatives and organising committee for opening remarks, setting the stage for a sensational conference!

Stellenbosch University, Western Cape

Deep Learning Indaba𝕏 South Africa 2025 Organising Committee

13h00 - 14h00

Keynote 1 number of speakers

S1018

Stuart Reid

NOSIBLE

Indexing the whole web

14h00 - 14h30

Welcoming: AI Fest 1 number of speakers

Civil Engineering S1018

NOSIBLE

14h30 - 15h00

Capture the Moment

Civil Engineering (outside)

Group photo time! 📸 Gather around and freeze this moment in time together! ❤️

15h00 - 16h30

AI Fest: Student Poster Session 1 number of speakers

Engineering Building Skywalk (3rd and 4th floors)

16h30 - 17h00

Music and welcome drinks

Civil Engineering Entrance Hall

Let the music play and the drinks pour! 🎶🥂 Kick off the good vibes with tunes, toasts, and new connections!

17h00 - 18h30

AI Fest : Exhibition Booth Session 1 number of speakers

Civil Engineering Entrance Hall

18h30 - 21h30

Movie Night 🎬

Pulp Cinema, Neelsie

08h00 - 09h00

☕️🍵 & Registration

Civil Engineering Building

Rise and shine: your morning coffee & tea are ready! ☕️🌅 and last-minute sign-ups! ☕

09h00 - 10h00

Keynote: AI in Agricultural 1 number of speakers

S1018

Prof. Pius Owolawi

Tshwane University of Technology

Edge AI for Agriculture: Towards a Cognitive Farming

10h00 - 10h30

☕️🍵

Coffee break

10h30 - 12h00

Fundamentals: Foundations of Machine Learning 1 number of speakers

S1018

Prof. Mandla Gwetu

Stellenbosch University

Fundamentals of ML

Machine Learning 3 number of speakers

E1025

David de Villiers

MWR CyberSec

Overlooked and Undersecured: Prompt Injection Attacks on LLM Applications

Lecture

Shane Josias

Stellenbosch University

Multimodal base distributions in conditional flow matching generative models

Lecture

Alaa Aldein Mohamed Suliman Ibrahim

University of Kwazulu-Natal

Transfer Learning-Based Method with Extreme Gradient Boost Classifier for Surface Defect Classification of Hot-Rolled Steel Strips

Lecture

Ethics 3 number of speakers

S2002

Zara Schroeder

Research ICT Africa

Unconsented: The Gendered Cost of Generative AI in the Digital Age

Lecture

Stephan Middleton

Von Seidels

The Patent Landscape for Inventions relating to Artificial Intelligence

Lecture

Dr Sebonkile Thaba

University of Johannesburg

From Supply Chains to Smart Solutions: Empowering Non-Technical Students with Blockchain Innovation

Lecture

12h00 - 12h30

Debate

S1018

12h30 - 13h30

🍽️ Lunch

Civil Engineering Cafeteria

Lunch is served! Fuel up and energize for the afternoon! 🍽️

13h30 - 14h30

Keynote 1 number of speakers

S1018

Prof Marlene Holmner

Talk description

Title: Ethics in the Age of AI: Balancing Privacy, Accuracy, and Access Speaker: Prof. Marlene Holmner, Department of Information Science, University of Pretoria

As Artificial Intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in everyday life—shaping decisions, driving innovation, and redefining information systems—it also brings forth complex ethical dilemmas. This keynote explores the critical ethical dimensions of AI with a specific focus on privacy, accuracy, intellectual property, access, and security in the context of generative AI tools and large language models.

Drawing from real-world examples, pending global lawsuits, and emerging African AI policy frameworks, Prof. Holmner unpacks the dangers of data misuse, algorithmic bias, and information inequality. She highlights how AI systems, while powerful, can replicate societal prejudices, leak sensitive data, and exacerbate digital divides.

Through the lens of ubuntu and African values of fairness and transparency, this talk calls for a responsible, context-sensitive approach to AI development and usage. Attendees will walk away with a deeper understanding of ethical risks, practical recommendations for researchers, and the urgent need for policies that protect both individual rights and collective societal good in the AI era.

Speaker bio

Marlene Holmner holds a DPhil in Information Science from the University of Pretoria, South Africa, and is an Associate Professor and the current Head of the Department of the Department of Information Science at the University of Pretoria. Her research interests lie in the field of Information Ethics, Indigenous Knowledge, ICT for Development, Information and Knowledge Society, Institutional Repositories, Digitization, Mobile Technologies and Curriculum Development. Her work has been published in various academic journals including the South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science, Information Development, Innovation and Mousaion. Furthermore, she has published in internationally accredited journals such as Library Hi-Tech, Library Philosophy and Practice and Information Technology for Development, to mention a few. She has presented various papers and led panel discussions at national and international conferences such as ProLISSA, SCECSAL, IFLA, IATUL, ALA, iConference, ASIST and pre-ECIS and AMCIS SIG GlobDev workshops. She has also been the programme chair and co-chair at SIG GlobDev workshops and mini-tracks. She teaches courses related but not limited to these fields at undergraduate and postgraduate level and as the study leader and supervisor of several Masters and PhD students. Marlene is a member of various national and international organisations including, the Library and Information Association of South Africa (LIASA), the African Centre of Excellence for Information Ethics (ACEIE), the Association of Information Systems (AIS), the Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIST), and iSchool member to mention a few.

University of Pretoria

Ethics in the Age of AI: Balancing Privacy, Accuracy, and Access

14h30 - 15h00

☕️🍵

Coffee break

15h00 - 16h30

Fundamentals: Foundations of Natural Language Processing 1 number of speakers

S1018

Dr. Joan Byamugisha

IBM Research - Africa

Evolution of NLP Methods, and their Fit-for-purpose

Algorithms 5 number of speakers

E1025

Bigomokero Antoine Bagula

Talk description

As Artificial Intelligence continues to progress, the underlying architectures that support learning across distributed, privacy-sensitive environments must also evolve. “Federated Learning (FL)” has emerged as a powerful framework for privacy-preserving, decentralized model training. However, its conventional implementation assumes homogeneous data distributions and identical model architectures across all clients—assumptions that rarely hold in real-world scenarios. This talk introduces the concept of “Diversity Learning” within federated architectures. In this approach, clients are grouped into clusters based on the nature of their data and operational roles. Each cluster is trained using a model architecture best suited to its specific context—whether temporal, spatial, or multi-modal—giving rise to the “Federated Diversity Learning (FedDivL)” paradigm. FedDivL embraces both data and model heterogeneity, enabling more flexible and context-aware learning. However, this diversity introduces new challenges in aggregating knowledge across heterogeneous clusters. To overcome these, FedDivL requires the development of “adaptive fusion strategies” that move beyond conventional averaging techniques. These strategies enable more informed and reliable global decision-making. Selected fusion strategies will be presented in this talk. Through use cases in network intrusion detection (e.g., SDN-based DDoS attacks) and smart infrastructure systems, the talk will demonstrate how diversity-aware federated learning enhances system robustness, adaptability, and generalization—particularly in dynamic and resource-constrained environments. Participants will gain insight into the limitations of traditional FL and explore how embracing diversity in both data and model design can unlock the next generation of collaborative, intelligent systems.

Speaker bio

Prof. Bigomokero Antoine Bagula is a professor of Computer Science at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), South Africa, where he leads the Intelligent Systems and Advanced Telecommunications (ISAT) Lab. He also holds a professorial role at Université Nouveaux Horizons (UNH) in the DRC. He holds a Ph.D. in Communication Systems from KTH (Sweden), and MSc degrees from UCL (Belgium) and Stellenbosch University (South Africa). His research spans Artificial Intelligence, Federated Learning, Big Data, Cloud/Fog Computing, High-Performance Computing, IoT, and Network Softwarization (NFV/SDN). With a strong focus on applying machine learning to distributed and resource-constrained environments, he contributes to advancing digital infrastructure in the Global South.

University of the Western Cape (UWC)

Artificial Learning: From Federated Learning to Diversity Learning

Lecture

Francois Naude

Institute of Mine Seismology

Hackathon / Augmentation and Training Strategies for Improved Phase Arrival Picking in Microseismic Monitoring

Lecture

Ahmed Mohammed Ahmed

Grokking in neural networks and the role of regularisation

Lecture

Saheed Jimoh

University of Kwazulu Natal

Evaluation of Wind Speed Regime Variability and Model Fit Performance Using Multi-Component Weibull Mixture Functions for Energy Potential Estimation

Lecture

Thato Angelo Serage

Forecasting South African consumer price index using statistical learning models

Lecture

NLP 3 number of speakers

S2002

Francois Meyer

University of Cape Town

Improving Text Generation for Low-Resource South African Languages

Lecture

Stefan Strydom

Pocket Polyglot Mzansi: Machine Translation for Local Languages on the Edge

Lecture

Samuel Oladejo

University of Johannesburg / Xero

ForecastRL: Neural Time Series Forecasting Integration with Risk-Aware Deep Reinforcement Learning for Financial Trading

Lecture

16h30 - 17h00

☕️🍵

Snack break

08h00 - 09h00

☕️🍵 & Registration

Civil Engineering Building

Rise and shine: your morning coffee & tea are ready! ☕️🌅 and last-minute sign-ups! ☕

09h00 - 10h00

Keynote: AI in Agricultural 1 number of speakers

S1018

Dr. Axel Tidemann

Takealot

Machine learning at Takealot

Lecture

10h00 - 10h30

☕️🍵

Coffee break

10h30 - 12h00

Fundamentals of Computer Vision 1 number of speakers

S1018

Jeroen Van Goey

InstaDeep

Machine Learning Interatomic Potentials (MLIP)

Lecture

MLOps + TA 3 number of speakers

E1025

Stefan Dominicus

Takealot

Recommender Systems at Takealot.com

Jason Max Chalom

Building out a sustainable and production ready AI software solution

Samuel Oladejo

University of Johannesburg / Xero

ForecastRL: Neural Time Series Forecasting Integration with Risk-Aware Deep Reinforcement Learning for Financial Trading

Neural Networks, Real-life applications and implementation 3 number of speakers

S2002

Mr. Naweed Khan

IBM Research Africa

The state of AI

Luke Taylor

DeepGate

Why AI is Power-Hungry - Lessons from the Brain and How We Can Fix It

Dr. Gavin Rens

Stellenbosch University

Symbolic Methods in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Fundamentals

12h00 - 12h30

Debate

S1018

12h30 - 13h30

🍽️ Lunch

Civil Engineering Cafeteria

Lunch is served! Fuel up and energize for the afternoon! 🍽️

13h30 - 14h30

IBM Skills Building: Workshop 1 number of speakers

M3002

John Matogo

IBM

Skills Build Resources

Lecture

Eyes in the sky: Applied Deep Learning with MATLAB and Minidrones - Optinum Solutions 1 number of speakers

M2002

Optinum Solutions

08h00 - 09h00

☕️🍵 & Registration

Civil Engineering Building

Rise and shine: your morning coffee & tea are ready! ☕️🌅 and last-minute sign-ups! ☕

09h00 - 10h00

Keynote: Quantum Foundations - From Qubits to Intelligent Algorithms 1 number of speakers

S1018

Prof. Francesco Petruccione

National Institute for Theoretical and Computational Sciences (NITheCS), Stellenbosch University

Quantum Foundations: From Qubits to Intelligent Algorithms

10h00 - 10h30

☕️🍵

Coffee break

10h30 - 12h00

Foundations of Data Literacy 1 number of speakers

S1018

Dr. Hossein Masoumi-Karakani

University of Pretoria

Data Culture Rising: Literacy for the Next Generation

Quantum Machine Learning 4 Africa 1 number of speakers

M2002

IBM Research

Building AI Agentic Workflows from scratch: A Hands-On Tutorial on RAG, Text2SQL & Tools 1 number of speakers

M3002

IBM Research

12h00 - 13h00

🍽️ Lunch

Civil Engineering Cafeteria

Lunch is served! Fuel up and energize for the afternoon! 🍽️

13h00 - 14h00

Lecture 2 number of speakers

S1018

Dr. Werner Janse van Rensburg

Centre for High Performance Computing

Introduction to NICIS: Your Compute (CHPC), Data (DIRISA) and Network (SANReN) Infrastructure Service Partner

Avi Moodley

Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)

NPL Solutions for Practical Industry Use Cases

Quantum Machine Learning 4 Africa 1 number of speakers

M2002

IBM Research

Building AI Agentic Workflows from scratch: A Hands-On Tutorial on RAG, Text2SQL & Tools 1 number of speakers

M3002

IBM Research

14h00 - 14h30

☕️🍵

Coffee break

14h30 - 15h30

Ethics, Health and Applications 4 number of speakers

S1018

Dr. Karen Walstra

AI School Policy: An Urgent Need

Gabriela Penelopé Carolus

Talk description

This presentation introduces StoryRx, an innovative, AI-driven digital storytelling health communication tool designed to support Type II diabetes management in diverse South African contexts. Due to the historical underrepresentation of African languages, cultures, and environments in generative AI (GenAI) training, many existing models struggle to effectively address content relevant to Africa. StoryRx employs advanced training and prompting strategies tailored to the unique linguistic and cultural landscape of the Western Cape, thereby addressing significant gaps in current AI capabilities. We will explore both the limitations and opportunities within GenAI, highlighting ongoing initiatives in the African ecosystem, such as InkubaLM, UlizaLlama, and AfriCOMET, while also acknowledging persisting challenges in image and speech models. Through our collaborative project, which leverages advanced retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipelines alongside structured clinical evidence and culturally nuanced narratives, we demonstrate improved evaluation methods, including human-centered and expert-in-the-loop approaches. Our findings highlight the importance of critical cultural and contextual considerations for creating AI-driven stories that resonate with their intended audiences. Ultimately, StoryRx exemplifies how integrating structured, evidence-based medical guidelines with culturally responsive, unstructured narrative data can lead to ethically sound, clinically accurate, and contextually relevant AI health applications, paving the way for equitable and scalable GenAI solutions worldwide.

Speaker bio

I am a Research Fellow and Research Project Manager at Stellenbosch University, specialising in the intersection of artificial intelligence, software architecture, design, public health innovation, and human-computer interaction. My research focuses on the co-design process for culturally sensitive, AI-driven digital storytelling health interventions and developing digital health solutions to support Type 2 diabetes management in low—and middle-income African contexts. I am cultivating dual expertise in Health Data Analytics, utilising Python, R, and machine learning methods, alongside Software Engineering and AI Architecture. I also pay particular attention to the ethical dimensions of digital health systems in resource-constrained environments. My work is dedicated to designing, evaluating, and scaling digital health solutions through participatory approaches and digital randomised controlled trials (RCTS). In the short term, I aim to publish in peer-reviewed journals, present at international conferences, and prepare for early-career grants and postdoctoral fellowships. Ultimately, I aspire to lead initiatives within organisations such as UNESCO, WHO, UNU, or the CDC, advancing digital public health innovation across Africa.

Division of Health Systems and Public Health, Department of Global Health, Stellenbosch University

Ground Truth: Blending Clinical Evidence and Unstructured Deep Learning for a Culturally Responsive AI Health Innovation

Craig Parker

Wits Planetary Health Research

Beyond Weather Warnings: Machine Learning Reveals the Hidden Biology of Climate Health Vulnerability

Dylan Geldenhuys

Sand Technologies

Building a Digital Twin for Telco: Optimizing Customer Satisfaction with Causal ML - Simulating interventions, predicting customer impact, and guiding network decisions at scale

Quantum Machine Learning 4 Africa 1 number of speakers

M2002

IBM Research

Building AI Agentic Workflows from scratch: A Hands-On Tutorial on RAG, Text2SQL & Tools 1 number of speakers

M3002

IBM Research

15h30 - 16h00

☕️🍵

Coffee and Snacks

16h00 - 17h00

Panel Discussion: 70 Years of AI

S1018

Panel Discussion

17h00 - 17h30

S1018

Prize giving 🏅 and closing ceremony 🏆🏁

17h30 - 18h00

Travel 🎒

18h00 to late

Closing Event

Dorp, Stellenbosch

closing event

Organising committee

Programme Chairs & Hackathon

Ahmed Ghoor

University of Queensland

Marketing and Communication

Aldrin Ngorima

North-West University

Executive Director

Anna Bosman

University of Pretoria

Board of Directors

Christopher Currin

IMBIZO

Programme Chairs, Fundraising and Sponsor relations & Hackathon

Dan Masethe

Tshwane University of Technology

Fundraising and Sponsor relations

Devon Jarvis

University of the Witwatersrand

Fundraising and Sponsor relations & Applications

Ditiro Rampate

IndabaX Botswana

Local Organisation + Catering and Social Events & AI Fest and Poster Session

Eldon Burger

Stellenbosch University

Programme Chairs & Marketing and Communication

Elizabeth Booi

University of the Western Cape

Local Organisation + Catering and Social Events & Accounting Support

Emily-Rose Steyn

University of the Witwatersrand

Hackathon

Emmanuel Owusu Ahenkan

African Institute for Mathematical Sciences & Stellenbosch University

AI Fest and Poster Session

Francis E. Agamah

University of Cape Town & DS-I Africa

Local Organisation + Catering and Social Events & AI Fest and Poster Session

Gabriel Asare Williams

Mastercard (African Institute of Mathematical Sciences)

Fundraising and Sponsor relations & Marketing and Communication

Joel Leonard

University of Pretoria

Marketing and Communication & AI Fest and Poster Session

Kwasi Darkwa

IndabaX Botswana & Botho University

Fundraising and Sponsor relations

Laing Lourens

CSIR

Fundraising and Sponsor relations & AI Fest and Poster Session

Lesego Makhafola

University of Pretoria

Local Organisation + Catering and Social Events & AI Fest and Poster Session

Louise Fourie

Stellenbosch University

Local Organisation + Catering and Social Events & Marketing and Communication

Lucy van der Meulen

Stellenbosch University

Executive Director, Accounting Support & Fundraising and Sponsor relations

Lydia de Lange

SocioTech

Marketing and Communication

Mahlatse Mbooi

CSIR

Hackathon & Applications

Mandlenkosi Zwane

Acumen Software

Local Organisation + Catering and Social Events & AI Fest and Poster Session

Marcel Dunaiski

Stellenbosch University

Board of Directors

Maria Schuld

Xanadu

Programme Chairs & Applications

Matimba Shingange

University of Pretoria

Programme Chairs

Ndivhuwo Makondo

IBM

Marketing and Communication

Nomonde Khalo

University of Cape Town

Hackathon

Yeshalen Naicker

CSIR

Programme Chairs & Hackathon

Qiulin Li

Sand Technologies

Local Organisation + Catering and Social Events & AI Fest and Poster Session

Refiloe Motsoeneng

Stellenbosch University

Hackathon & AI Fest and Poster Session

Robert Selemani

Zindi Africa

Fundraising and Sponsor relations

Ruan de Kock

InstaDeep Ltd & University of Cape Town

Fundraising and Sponsor relations & Hackathon

Samuel Oladejo

Xero & University of Johannesburg

Programme Chairs, Hackathon & AI Fest and Poster Session

Sthembiso Mkhwanazi

CSIR

Local Organisation + Catering and Social Events & Programme Chairs

Stephanie Müller

IBM & University of the Witwatersrand

Fundraising and Sponsor relations & Applications

Thapelo Maupa

Independent Researcher

Fundraising and Sponsor relations & Applications

Thapelo Sindane

University of Pretoria

Local Organisation + Catering and Social Events & AI Fest and Poster Session

Dates

Categories

About

400+ attendees

50+ speakers

4+ tutorials

50+ posters

2+ hackathon problems

Demographics

🎤 AI FEST 2025 🖼️

Schedule

Day 1 Mon 07 Jul 2025

Day 1

Mon 07 Jul 2025

Registration

Machine Learning Maths 2 number of speakers

Mr. Thapelo Maupa

Ruan de Kock

Building Science Communication Capacity in Africa 3 number of speakers

Wiida Fourie-Basson

Mbalenhle Ntuli

Mr. Luther Chipembere

Practical Presentation Skills for Researchers 2 number of speakers

Ms Katherine Rabik

Dr. Lili Rademan

Debate

🍽️ Lunch

Opening Address - Stellenbosch University and Committee

Stellenbosch University, Western Cape

Deep Learning Indaba𝕏 South Africa 2025 Organising Committee

Keynote 1 number of speakers

Stuart Reid

Welcoming: AI Fest 1 number of speakers

NOSIBLE

Capture the Moment

AI Fest: Student Poster Session 1 number of speakers

Music and welcome drinks

AI Fest : Exhibition Booth Session 1 number of speakers

Movie Night 🎬

Day 2 Tue 08 Jul 2025

Day 2

Tue 08 Jul 2025

☕️🍵 & Registration

Keynote: AI in Agricultural 1 number of speakers

Prof. Pius Owolawi

☕️🍵

Fundamentals: Foundations of Machine Learning 1 number of speakers

Prof. Mandla Gwetu

Machine Learning 3 number of speakers

David de Villiers

Shane Josias

Alaa Aldein Mohamed Suliman Ibrahim

Ethics 3 number of speakers

Zara Schroeder

Stephan Middleton

Dr Sebonkile Thaba

Debate

🍽️ Lunch

Keynote 1 number of speakers

Prof Marlene Holmner

☕️🍵

Fundamentals: Foundations of Natural Language Processing 1 number of speakers

Dr. Joan Byamugisha

Algorithms 5 number of speakers

Bigomokero Antoine Bagula

Francois Naude