The African Association of Universities (a University Association counting over 400 Universities across the African Continent), the University of Nottingham and the Ethical Data Initiative launched the Campaign for Data Ethics in Education with a successful online event this week.

The event, a panel discussion on Data Ethics Policy in Higher Education, was streamed live on AAU TV. The AAU TV network was established in 2018 to deliver news and information on important higher education-related issues on the African Continent such as advancements in education policy, STEM innovation and important research findings. The recording of the event is available to watch below.

The lively panel discussion took place between African experts in International Development, Data Science, Technology and Education, and touched on important questions such as:

• Who owns our data? Who benefits from our data?
• How we might avoid the pitfalls of feudalism and colonialism in this new and constantly evolving landscape.
• Whether, and why, it might be time for data ethics to become an integral part of the education curriculum in schools and universities.
• How can we can build capacity for Data Ethics in universities and industry.

Data Ethics Policy in Higher Education was the first in the ongoing Ethical Data Discussion series, which aims to explore important topics and questions surrounding digital technology, data collection and data-driven research; highlighting the need for training digital practitioners in the ethics of their craft. Future events will cover themes such as: Human rights, data colonialism, data feudalism, gender and research ethics.

The next Ethical Data Discussion will take place on June 20, 2023 at 9h00 GMT (10h00BST). Stay tuned or subscribe to our news blog for more details!

If you have any questions, or would like to get involved, please contact: kathryn.bailey@ethicaldatainitiative.org