Africa AI Academic of the Year
This award recognizes the scholar whose body of academic work on artificial intelligence has made the most significant contribution to knowledge, discourse, or practice in Africa over the award period. This is not about social media presence or keynote invitations — it is about the quality, rigor, and relevance of academic output. The winning academic will have published work that other researchers cite, that policymakers reference, or that practitioners apply. Bonus recognition goes to academics whose work is grounded in African data, African problems, and African contexts — not simply imported frameworks applied to local datasets.
Africa AI University Lecturer of the Year
This award celebrates the university lecturer who has made AI education inside formal higher education genuinely excellent. University lecturers operate under constraints that bootcamp trainers do not — rigid syllabi, under-resourced labs, large class sizes, institutional bureaucracy, and students arriving with wildly varying mathematical foundations. The winning lecturer will have found ways to teach AI effectively despite these constraints — producing graduates who are genuinely job-ready, research-capable, or entrepreneurially minded. We are also looking for lecturers who have gone beyond the classroom: supervising final-year AI projects, connecting students to industry, publishing alongside their students, or advocating for better AI curricula within their institutions.
Best African AI Research Contribution
Recognising outstanding individual research contributions to African AI.
AI Researcher of the Year
Honouring an African researcher whose AI work has had standout impact this year.
AI Educator of the Year
Celebrating educators advancing AI teaching and skills development across Africa.
AI Content Creator of the Year
Recognising creators making AI knowledge accessible to African audiences.
Best AI Academic Institution
Honouring universities and institutions advancing AI research and education in Africa.
Best AI Training Programme
Celebrating programmes building practical AI skills across the continent.
Best AI Research Lab
Recognising labs producing impactful, applied African AI research.
AI Community Builder of the Year
Honouring individuals or organisations growing Africa's AI community and ecosystem.
