{"id":1021599,"date":"2024-05-15T11:48:54","date_gmt":"2024-05-15T18:48:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/find.codeghost.online\/en-us\/research\/?post_type=msr-research-lab&p=1021599"},"modified":"2026-07-08T04:06:49","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T11:06:49","slug":"microsoft-research-lab-africa-nairobi","status":"publish","type":"msr-research-lab","link":"https:\/\/find.codeghost.online\/en-us\/research\/lab\/microsoft-research-lab-africa-nairobi\/","title":{"rendered":"Microsoft Research Lab – Africa, Nairobi"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Microsoft Research Lab – Africa, Nairobi<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

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Building globally equitable AI models and tools<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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At Microsoft Research Africa, Nairobi, we are driven by a mission to understand, build, and deploy innovative cloud and AI technologies for Africa and the world. Our work is grounded in a multidisciplinary approach that combines our diverse skill set and practices with community-based, human-centred methods to design AI to make work more seamless and enable people to grow their skills and knowledge. As AI unlocks new possibilities for billions, we are focused on ensuring that the models and tools we build are globally equitable, inclusive, and meaningful for the communities they serve. In doing so, we both advance AI and ensure it can work for everyone, everywhere.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Our Focus Areas<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Advancing Robust Multimodal Foundation Models for Africa<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Building and evaluating culturally-aware AI models for global deployment<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Developing methods for human-centred and LLM-based benchmarking and evaluation<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Driving community-led development of AI systems across the African ecosystem<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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    At Microsoft Research Africa, we partner with universities and research institutions across Africa and globally to co-create AI systems that are grounded in local contexts and shaped through shared knowledge, research, and innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Current Initiatives<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n

    Past Initiatives<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    In 2022, MSR Africa awarded Microsoft PhD fellowships to three students at African universities, marking the programme\u2019s first cohort on the continent: Dorcas Gicuku (opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a>, Olalekan Joseph Akintande (opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a>, and Sofia Bourhim (opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a>. In 2023, a further three fellows were selected from across Africa, including Tezira Wanyana (opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a>, Naoya Muramatsu (opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a>, and Hasnae Zerouaoui (opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a>. Throughout their fellowships, Microsoft worked closely with each researcher on areas of shared interest, supporting collaborative, impactful research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    June 2026 Seminar:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    The Policy Layer that Governs Africa’s Algorithmic Ecosystem<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Join Dr. Jane Munga (opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a> for this seminar session where she will present findings from the Africa Technology Policy Tracker (opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a> (AfTech), a systematic repository of digital economy strategies, laws, and regulations across Africa. AfTech helps examine what Africa’s policy and legal instruments reveal about Africa’s readiness to govern AI, the priorities of its policymakers, and the gaps that remain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Speaker Bio:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Dr. Jane Munga is a Fellow in the Africa Program (opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a> at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where she leads research on technology policy. Her work addresses how African countries can harness digital technologies to advance inclusive and sustainable growth, with a focus on the nexus of digital policy, digital partnerships, and the foundational elements of digital development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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