Meet the Indaba𝕏 2024 organising committee

Published on Apr 01, 2024

We’re serious about growing machine learning in South Africa, no joke!

The Indaba𝕏 2024 organising committee

photo of Abdel Mfougouon Njupoun

Local organiser, Hackathon, AI Fest, National logistics

Abdel Mfougouon Njupoun

University of the Witwatersrand
photo of Ahmed Ghoor

Programme, AI Fest

Ahmed Ghoor

Muslim Impact Lab
photo of Aldrin Ngorima

Marketing, AI Fest

Aldrin Ngorima

North-West University
photo of Anil Pise

Local organiser, AI Fest

Anil Pise

Deloitte
photo of Anna Bosman

Executive Director

Anna Bosman

University of Pretoria
photo of Callum Rhys Tilbury

Programme

Callum Rhys Tilbury

InstaDeep Ltd
photo of Christopher Currin

Board of Directors

Christopher Currin

Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Imbizo
photo of Clement Masilela

Accounting, Fundraising

Clement Masilela

PBT Group
photo of Dan Masethe

AI Fest, Hackathon

Dan Masethe

TUT
photo of Devon Jarvis

Local organiser

Devon Jarvis

University of the Witwatersrand
photo of Ditiro Rampate

Fundraising, National logistics

Ditiro Rampate

IndabaX Botswana
photo of Dumisani Zambukere

Programme, Local organiser, Hackathon, AI Fest

Dumisani Zambukere

University of the Witwatersrand
photo of Elizabeth Booi

Programme, AI Fest

Elizabeth Booi

University of the Western Cape
photo of Emily-Rose Steyn

Local organiser, AI Fest, National logistics

Emily-Rose Steyn

University of the Witwatersrand
photo of Emmanuel Owusu Ahenkan

Hackathon

Emmanuel Owusu Ahenkan

African Institute for Mathematical Sciences
photo of Faheem Sima

Marketing, Hackathon

Faheem Sima

CSIR
photo of Francis E. Agamah

AI Fest

Francis E. Agamah

University of Cape Town
photo of Joel Leonard

Local organiser, Marketing

Joel Leonard

University of Pretoria
photo of Ketro Sithole

Hackathon

Ketro Sithole

Expeditus (Pty) Ltd
photo of Kwasi Darkwa

Marketing

Kwasi Darkwa

IndabaX Botswana & Argo Media Group
photo of Laing Lourens

Local organiser, Fundraising, Hackathon, AI Fest

Laing Lourens

CSIR
photo of Leo Hyams

Fundraising

Leo Hyams

University of Cape Town
photo of Lydia de Lange

Executive Director, Accounting, Fundraising

Lydia de Lange

SocioTech
photo of Mahloromela Silas Seabi

Local organiser

Mahloromela Silas Seabi

photo of Maria Schuld

Board of Directors

Maria Schuld

UKZN/UJ
photo of Matimba Shingange

Local organiser, National logistics, Programme

Matimba Shingange

University of Pretoria
photo of Mphatso Nkhoma

Marketing

Mphatso Nkhoma

University of Cape Town
photo of Nandi Mwase

National logistics, Accounting

Nandi Mwase

University of Pretoria
photo of Natalie Bianca Alexander

Programme, AI Fest organise

Natalie Bianca Alexander

IBM & The University of Cape Town
photo of Ndivhuwo Makondo

Local organiser, Programme

Ndivhuwo Makondo

IBM & University of the Witwatersrand
photo of Nkosana Daniel Mlandu

Hackathon

Nkosana Daniel Mlandu

National University of Science and Technology, Zimbabwe
photo of Nomonde Khalo

Marketing, AI Fest, National logistics

Nomonde Khalo

University of Cape Town
photo of Nompilo Mkhulisi

Marketing, National logistics

Nompilo Mkhulisi

Durban University of Technology
photo of Philipa Murindagomo

Hackathon, AI Fest

Philipa Murindagomo

National University of Science and Technology, Zimbabwe
photo of Qiulin Li

AI Fest, Hackathon

Qiulin Li

photo of Ruan de Kock

National logistics, Local organiser

Ruan de Kock

InstaDeep Ltd
photo of Samuel Oladejo

Fundraising, Hackathon

Samuel Oladejo

UJ
photo of Seani Rananga

Programme

Seani Rananga

University of Pretoria
photo of St John Grimbly

Accounting, Programme

St John Grimbly

University of Cape Town
photo of Stephanie Müller

Local organiser, Programme

Stephanie Müller

IBM & University of the Witwatersrand
photo of Tessa Richardson

Fundraising, Programme, Marketing, AI Fest

Tessa Richardson

University of Cape Town
photo of Thapelo Maupa

National logistics

Thapelo Maupa

Independent Researcher
photo of Thapelo Sindane

National logistics, Local organiser

Thapelo Sindane

University of Pretoria
photo of Thembelihle Dlamini

Local organiser, Hackathon organizer, National logistics

Thembelihle Dlamini

IBM
photo of Tshepo Moagi

Marketing, Hackathon

Tshepo Moagi

Anglo Platinum
photo of Yeshalen Naicker

Marketing, Hackathon, Local organiser

Yeshalen Naicker

CSIR
photo of Ziliro Jere

National logistics

Ziliro Jere

University of Witwatersrand

Some of our visions for 2024 include:

Get more industry people involved - I believe the economy can benefit from more people starting businesses in AI. Bringing industry leaders to inspire and educate our future AI business owners seems like a good move for the benefit of Africa.

Create spaces for different groups of people to engage (across disciplines, age groups, etc). Perhaps make it more accessible for high school students from under-resourced communities to inspire them to learn more about machine learning and possibly study a related discipline in the future.

Expand the diversity of the ML community in SA

Get more postgraduates students involved in Poster presentations

Raise lots of money for IndabaX SA to help grow ML communities across the country

Increase the amount of awareness and engagement around the ethics and safety of AI development.

Enable an environment for meaningful connections and inspire young academics to pursue research in machine learning and AI.

Reach out to companies in the tech industry or those with a focus on machine learning and AI.

To reach as many students as possible in all corners of South Africa

Ensure every person that attends feels like they’ve learnt something valuable

To help build a future where tech empowers individuals and transforms society for the better

Create a deeper focus on AI Safety in Africa

Focusing on entry-level programmers at the hackathon, make it bigger and louder. Add a game or something casual in ML hackathon…. Maybe have a full night??

To increase the impact of machine learning in africa through rigorous publicity on social media

Reach as many people and tell them about progress from Africa

Grow the next generation of ML experts in SA, help prospective students find their research supervisors, help academics find practical applications and funding in the industry, help the industry benefit from the cutting edge research done in SA. Break the silos! ML for all!

Encouraging active participation from women, youth, marginalized communities, and individuals from various backgrounds in the African AI community to foster inclusivity and diversity.

To promote Machine Learning as a tool which can be used to foster innovation

Get more people excited about ML 🥳😎

To have major capacity and impact of ML to the world -

To promote ML literacy by advocating for inclusive education programs and engaging with policymakers to establish ethical and regulatory frameworks while advocating for fairness and accountability in ML algorithms.

Building bridges, driving impact. To unite diverse voices in ML through education and collaboration. To empower individuals and communities to shape a more innovative and inclusive future.

Foster innovation with Machine Learning

Expose young and upcoming researchers to the amazing research opportunities at the intersection of academia and industry!

Have more first time attendees than before.

Empowering the new generation of innovators across Africa to utilise emerging technologies in a way that can uplift humanity and transform industries.

More posters!

Get many people working in AI to showcase their work!"

Diverse voices!

To make IndabaX 2024 a milestone event that will be looked back upon as a turning point for AI in Africa, where we didn’t just follow global trends, but set them.

Increase awareness on upskilling and applications resources

To promote the Machine Learning field. Appreciation of Mathematics as a language of science and innovation in this information age.

Create awareness and contribute to capacity building in the field of DS/AI