Forging Africa’s AI future: proceedings of the first HSRC AI skills development academy

The HSRC, in partnership with the University of KwaZulu-Natal and Cape Peninsula University of Technology, hosted its first-ever Artificial Intelligence (AI) Skills Development Academy, a three-day capacity-building initiative for emerging African researchers across the Global South. With over 830 participants from 18 countries, the Academy equipped scholars with practical AI competencies and launched a network of AI ambassadors committed to spreading these skills within their institutions and communities.