A New African Consortium is the First Adopter of Our “Inclusive Networks Model”

The endgame of WeRobotics is to enable other like-minded international organizations (INGOs) to massively expand the space for locally-led practice. How? One of our proposed solutions is adopting and adapting the Inclusive Networks Model for their organization, programs, and initiatives.

Over the past year, we have led many discussions with senior management across multiple INGOs who showed a strong interest in adopting the Inclusive Networks Model. In March of this year, we also published this extensive report that allows interested organizations and the larger community to learn more about the model and its impact on the Flying Labs Network over the past five years with concrete evidence and examples. 

We have INGOs in mind to drive the adoption of the Inclusive Networks Model at scale. So we were pleasantly surprised to learn that the model also appeals to many other initiatives. The first group to adopt the model is a new African network called GRAIN, which stands for "Responsible Artificial Intelligence for Inclusion and Gender Equality." The fantastic team of IPAR leads this new network initiative in Senegal that we and, first and foremost, Senegal Flying Labs have been able to collaborate with through the past four years. Together with Sunbird.AI and the Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa (CSEA), they have collaborated to create the inclusive pan-African RAIGE network. WeRobotics is the external partner of RAIGE. We will collaborate with the consortium to develop an inclusive network framework for RAIGE.

The overall goal of GRAIN is to advance inclusion and gender equality in Sub-Saharan Africa through the development, responsible and local deployment of artificial intelligence innovations. Artificial intelligence, as it is understood today, is the application of human-like behavior in reasoning, learning, and deduction to specific tasks. To achieve this goal, the RAIGE network approach is based on three specific objectives:

• Developing an accountable AI network for gender equality and inclusion, built on shared governance and decentralized power by adopting and adapting the Inclusive Networks model;
• Building capacity and advocacy on AI for gender equality and inclusion for the benefit of network members and stakeholders; and
• Implementing an innovative research agenda for responsible artificial intelligence to advance gender equality and inclusion.

We're thrilled that the first adoption of our model is by an African-led network initiative entirely driven by an African consortium. It seems so fitting that the Inclusive Networks model at the base of the Flying Labs Network has been co-created with many African colleagues of the Network. 

We thank IPAR, Sunbird.AI, and CSEA for their trust in WeRobotics and our Inclusive Network model approach. We are very excited to co-create the basis for the GRAIN network with them in late June in Senegal.