The Ethical Data Initiative and the African Institute of Capacity Development (AICAD), hosted a Webinar exploring The Importance of Data Ethics in Research and Education, now available to watch online.

We are living in a digitally transformed society. Data drives problem solving and better decision making. While the digital revolution has transformed the way we live, solving many issues; it has also given rise to numerous questions and challenges which affect everyone. What governance policies and frameworks are needed to make sure digital technologies and opportunities are available for everyone and there are no monopolies created? How do we make sure there are proper governance mechanisms in place to embed values in all data ecosystems?

The Panel

Valeria Pesce has worked on issues of ethics and inclusivity in agriculture, data and issues surrounding data infrastructure for organisations including the UNFAO, World Bank, CTA and the EC.
She currently works as Partnership Facilitator and Digital Innovation Adviser at the Global Forum on Agricultural Research and Innovation (GFAR), where she coordinates an initiative called the Collective Action on Inclusive Digital Agriculture.

Evarist Nabaasa has a background in computer engineering. He is Dean of Faculty of Computing and Informatics at the Mbarara Institute of Science and Technology in Uganda.
Professor Nabaasa’s research interests are in Big Data, Algorithm Design, and Block chain, Networks and Embedded Systems.

Johannes John-Langba is Director of the College of Humanities Doctoral Academy at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.
He specialises in science education and ethics, serving on the advisory boards of several journals including Africa Population Studies, Ethics and Social Welfare, and the Journal of Cultural Analysis and Social Change. Professor John-Langba is also the Co-chair of the International Science Council’s Data Ethics Working Group of the Committee on Data (CODATA).

Idris Rai is currently the Deputy Executive Secretary of the inter-university council of East Africa (IUCEA), having recently moved from his position of Vice Chancellor of the State University of Zanzibar (SUZA).
His research interests include network systems and protocols, IoT, and Artificial intelligence especially applied to Natural language processing.

Elifas Bisanda’s Background is in Materials Science and Mechanical Engineering. He is a Registered Professional Engineer and a Fellow of both the Institution of Engineers of Tanzania and the Tanzania Academy of Sciences (TAAS). Professor Bissanda is Vice Chancellor at The Open University of Tanzania.