Rethinking Innovation for Africa’s AI Age

About this event 

This presentation will critically explore how openness and intellectual property (IP) can act as complementary tools for empowerment and innovation in Africa, particularly in the context of artificial intelligence (AI). It draws on African experiences with scaling responsible AI solutions, open science, open hardware, and traditional knowledge systems to examine how IP can both support and constrain locally driven innovation.  

At the heart of this reflection is the power of communication—not only as a medium for knowledge exchange, but as a strategic force that shapes narratives, influences policy, and mediates technology adoption, often reproducing techno colonial dynamics.  

The presentation will also highlight the strategic use of open licenses, such as Creative Commons, as tools to facilitate equitable access to knowledge and foster collaborative innovation. These licenses offer alternatives to restrictive IP frameworks and support the circulation of locally relevant content, especially in contexts where formal IP systems may be inaccessible or misaligned with community values. In such environments, global standards and proprietary models frequently marginalize African epistemologies and grassroots initiatives.  

By analyzing regulatory frameworks and community-led responses—such as makerspaces—the presentation calls for reimagining IP not merely as a legal tool, but as a mechanism for fostering cognitive justice, equitable access, and sustainable development in African societies navigating both the promises and the perils of AI. 

About the speaker

Dr. Thomas Hervé Mboa Nkoudou is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Ottawa. He is a Cameroonian scholar with a PhD in Public Communication from Laval University, Canada. His research adopts a decolonial and critical perspective on development, focusing on digital humanities, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, digital technologies, and particularly artificial intelligence for the common good. As an Emerging Researcher with the Open African Innovation Research (Open AIR) network, he was previously a Visiting Researcher at the Centre for Law, Technology and Society at the University of Ottawa, though the Queen Elizabeth II Scholarship Program.