Application Deadline: March 14, 2025
Applications are now open for the 2025 Artificial Intelligence for Development in Africa- AI4D Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) Scholarship Programme. The African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) has received a grant from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to support the scholarship of women candidates in sub-Saharan Africa. The funding will support the training of PhD students in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) as well as the research work of Early Career Academics in AI & ML. The research work within this program must be in AI that addresses any of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The award of the scholarships shall strive to achieve uniform distribution of beneficiaries across Francophone, Anglophone and Lusophone sub-Saharan Africa. There will also be an effort to achieve fair distribution in terms of region. The supported studies MUST adhere to responsible AI.
Eligible Countries: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Cote d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini (Formerly Known as Swaziland), Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, The Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Category 1: Registered PhD Students
Invitation will target women candidates who are already registered for a PhD, have finished course work as well as had their research proposals approved. Scholarships will be given for a period of two years. Selection will be based purely on the quality of the candidates’ proposals.
Eligibility Requirements
- The applicant must be a woman.
- All applicants must be already registered in an AI study (machine learning, expert system, natural language processing, intelligent robotics etc.) under a supervisor, have finished coursework as well as had their research proposal approved. The applicant must attach a letter of support by their supervisor, a copy of the PhD study admission letter and evidence of approval of research proposal.
- All applicants should have competent academic credentials and demonstrate motivation and commitment to pursue an academic career.
- All applicants should have thorough knowledge of the language of instruction within their host university. (French, Portuguese or English).
- All applicants must be nationals or permanent residents of an eligible sub-Saharan country. (See the list of eligible countries above).
- All applicants must have all necessary national or other approvals to conduct the proposed research. Please note, the approval process may be conducted in parallel with the grant application, if necessary.
- All applicants must have the technical capacity – or the ability to create sustainable AI solutions addressing social challenges faced by user communities.
Benefits
- Each successful student will receive a partial scholarship of up to US$ 28,000 distributed as shown below:
- Tuition fees for two years up to $ 4,000
- Research activities up to $ 24,000
Category 2: Early Career Academics (ECAs)
This will mainly target those ECAs who have the capacity to supervise at least MSc students
Eligibility Requirements
- The applicant must be a woman.
- Each applicant must have held a PhD in AI and ML, for not more than 5 years as at application.
- All applicants should have competent academic credentials and demonstrate motivation and commitment to pursue an academic career.
- All applicants must be nationals or permanent residents of an eligible sub-Saharan country (See the list of eligible countries above).
- All applicants must have all necessary national or other approvals to conduct the proposed research. Please note, the approval process may be conducted in parallel with the grant application, if necessary.
- All applicants must have the technical capacity – or the ability to create sustainable AI solutions addressing social challenges faced by user communities.
Benefits
- Each successful ECA will receive a scholarship of up to US$ 41,500. This will cover:
- Research costs up to $ 25,000
- Research infrastructure up to $ 10,000.
- Travel costs up to $ 2,500.
- Tuition fees for 2 MSc students for two years up to $ 4,000 (@ $2,000 per stude nt)
Capacity Strengthening
The following complementary activities will be provided to strengthen the capacity of beneficiaries of the scholarships (PhD candidates and their supervisors; ECA candidates and their MSc students);
- SRAIS (Scaling of Responsible AI solutions) mentoring
- Sensitization of responsible data collection framework.
- Scaling of AI solutions.
- AI policy brief development.
- One regional research and development conference after 24 months.
Key Benefits
- Financial Assistance: Scholarships will be awarded to cover projects/applications expenses, tuition fees, books, and other academic expenses.
- Accessibility Support: Each scholar will have access to AI ethics toolkits at all times. These resources will guide scholars in the responsible development of AI solutions that can be scaled and adapted for diverse contexts.
- Mentorship and Ethics: Each scholar will be paired with a mentor specializing in responsible scaling of AI solutions.
- Collaborative Learning and Networking: There will be efforts to enable cross-learning and networking among scholars, and between scholars and existing AI innovation hubs across the continent.
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