The bootcamp connects responsible AI with sustainability and agriculture challenges in Africa so participants learn to build practical solutions and lead with impact.
AI for Africa is an intensive two-week residential program bringing together up to 30 talented high school students for a hands-on introduction to artificial intelligence. Hosted on the African Leadership Academy (ALA) campus in Johannesburg, South Africa, the program is delivered in partnership with the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), one of the world's leading AI research institutions. It pairs ALA's deep expertise in leadership development with MBZUAI's academic strength in AI, giving participants the chance to learn foundational AI concepts, work alongside graduate-student mentors, and engage directly with world-class faculty. Together, the partners aim to equip the next generation of African innovators with the skills, confidence, and vision to shape the future of technology on the continent and beyond.
MBZUAI frames artificial intelligence as a tool for solving real-world problems and advancing sustainable progress. Its research ecosystem spans areas that matter for public good, including agriculture, digital public health, and responsible AI applications.
African Leadership Academy develops young leaders from across Africa and grounds the bootcamp in values of curiosity, integrity, service, and practical leadership for the communities participants come from.
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An AI learning platform that helps students and communities access practical knowledge, guided support, and learning tools in one place.
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An AI agriculture platform for disease scanning, farm management, soil planning, and budget tracking in one place.
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A personal sustainability app that measures environmental footprint and suggests practical ways to reduce it.
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A mobile app that predicts rainfall and suggests irrigation schedules so farmers can save water and avoid over-irrigation.
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An AI-powered marketplace that connects farmers directly with buyers while supporting cooling, logistics, and secure payments.
Associate Professor of Actuarial Science at the University of the Witwatersrand and the University of Manchester, and Co-Founder and Director of AfriClimate AI advancing climate intelligence for Africa.
Professor of Computer Science at the University of Pretoria, ABSA UP Chair of Data Science, and Director of AfriDSAI, focused on machine learning, AI, and NLP for African languages.
Assistant professor at the University of Maryland, Africa Director of NASA Harvest, and founder of The Xylem Institute. She builds Translational GeoAI systems that turn satellite data and AI into food-security decisions across Africa.
Full Professor in Artificial Intelligence for Supply Chains at UQAR and associate professor at Université de Montréal and Mila. She applies machine learning and operations research to supply-chain decarbonization and resilience.
The official AI for Africa Bootcamp 2026 site is now live with the program overview, keynotes, schedule, and organizers in one place.
Associate Professor and Associate Department Chair at MBZUAI focused on AI for weather forecasting and climate resilience.
Associate Professor of Computer Vision at MBZUAI working on geospatial AI, climate resilience, and practical vision-language systems.
Sr. Advisor at MBZUAI supporting undergraduate programs, student experience, campus partnerships, and policy coordination.
PhD student focused on personalized AI and wearables, building creative systems that stay human-centered and useful in daily life.
Project manager leading AI and climate initiatives at MBZUAI, with experience across machine learning, logistics, and energy transition.
Master's student in Statistics and Data Science researching AI agent security, with experience in software engineering and mentorship.
PhD candidate in Machine Learning researching efficient models, compression, reinforcement learning, and sustainable energy systems.
Research engineer in Statistics and Data Science working on AI-driven weather forecasting for Africa and probabilistic calibration.
Master's student in Big Data Science and Mastercard Foundation Scholar focused on data science, machine learning, and responsible AI.
Bioinformatics scholar with research, teaching, and mentorship experience across Southern Africa and postgraduate training support.