Category: News & Events

The Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the Ministry of ICT & Innovation, in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, hosted the inaugural Global AI Summit on Africa in Kigali, Rwanda under the theme: “AI and Africa’s Demographic Dividend: Reimagining Economic Opportunities for Africa’s Workforce.”

The Grand Challenges Senegal Team, and our awardees had the opportunity to attend the Summit on April 3^rd  and 4^th.

The summit was an inspiring gathering that brought together visionary leaders from diverse sectors, all united by a shared mission: harnessing the power of AI to shape the future of global health and development.

On April 1st and 2nd, the Grand Challenges Senegal team, alongside our awardees and our partners (Grand Challenges Canada and the Pasteur network), had the incredible opportunity to connect with fellow members of the Grand Challenges Network. These two days were rich in collaboration, knowledge exchange, and forward-thinking discussions.

We kicked off on April 1st with a dynamic, hands-on workshop focused on the role of Artificial Intelligence in advancing global health, an engaging session hosted by GC Network partners. The following day, we joined the GC AI Community of Practice for deep, meaningful dialogue around innovation and problem-solving. The energy was palpable, with participants fully present, curious, and eager to learn from one another.

The experience reaffirmed just how valuable these face-to-face gatherings are. A heartfelt thank you to our gracious hosts, the Gates Foundation and Axum, for creating such a thoughtful and inspiring space.

At the Center for Africa’s Resilience to Epidemics (CARE), Institut Pasteur de Dakar, we are proud and delighted to have hosted the annual Grand Challenges Senegal Forum. This event, designed to bring conceptual innovation closer to concrete implementation, fosters collaboration, supporting nascent ideas and amplifying the future potential of public health solutions. 

The Forum brought together project leaders at different stages of maturity, for workshops, pitch sessions and interactive discussions. Experts were on hand to offer advice on budgeting, partnerships and scaling up technologies. Thematic roundtables also enabled prizewinners, particularly those who had not yet got off the ground, to meet with sector specialists (health policy, technologies, financing) to refine their approaches.