Africa’s AI community gathers annually for the Deep Learning Indaba to exchange ideas, learn, and dream big. As InstaDeep we have supported this journey from the start, both through sponsorship including travel grants that help students from across Africa attend and by engaging actively in the community. This year in Kigali, we teamed together with partners, coworkers, and up-and-coming talent under the theme Urunana “hand in hand” to celebrate and advance AI in Africa.
Our Team’s Contributions
As always, our colleagues played an active role in the Indaba programme, leading tutorials and sessions that explored both the foundations of Machine Learning and the frontiers of research.
From Machine Learning Foundations to advanced topics like Generative Models, and into specialised areas such as Reinforcement Learning and Policy Gradients, our sessions spanned the full spectrum of AI knowledge. The goal wasn’t only to dive into theory, but to make complex ideas more accessible, practical, and relevant for those eager to apply them.
What made the conversations powerful was their grounding in real African contexts, from the challenges of scaling AI infrastructure to developing solutions for local needs. This brought the discussions to life, turning them into more than technical deep-dives. The atmosphere was full of curiosity, exchange and collaboration, with participants leaving not only with new knowledge but also with connections and a stronger sense of how AI can create impact across the continent.
Outside the sessions, we also enjoyed meeting people at our booth 🤝. It was a chance to exchange ideas, hear different viewpoints, and connect with the community in a more personal way.
Kigali Office Celebration
We were delighted to host a special side event during Indaba to celebrate the opening of our Kigali office. Rwanda is swiftly establishing itself as a regional powerhouse for innovation, and for us it is the perfect place to deepen our commitment to cultivating African AI talent and building solutions with global reach.
The gathering was an opportunity to connect with the community, showcase the amazing talent already present, and lay the groundwork for partnerships that can have a lasting impact.
Hack the Carbon
During Deep Learning Indaba week, we were excited to launch Hack the Carbon, a hackathon all about using AI to protect Africa’s forests.
The challenge? Take satellite images and ground data, and turn them into smart tools that can map forests, measure biomass, and track changes over time. The goal was to help decision-makers act faster and smarter in the fight against climate change with access to accurate real-world data.
It was inspiring to see teams dive into the problem, testing ideas, building fast, and learning from each other. We saw projects on deforestation mapping, carbon tracking, and more.
🏆 Congratulations to all our participants, and especially to the winning teams:
First Place - Julius Mwangi
Second Place - Toufiq Musah, Mona Aman, Henok B Ademtew
Third Place - Azza Osman, Mansour Osman, Ahmed Eldaw, Ali Midhat
Reflecting on Urunana
Urunana reminded us at Indaba that progress is most effective when it is shared.
It was encouraging to observe how cooperation continues to create an inclusive AI ecosystem throughout Africa, from knowledge sharing to idea generation. We’re honored to have contributed in any way to this trip and eager to watch how the relationships and discussions from Urunana will develop into new initiatives and opportunities.