UTech hosts Africa-Caribbean AI Conference

The Pan-African/Caribbean Artificial Intelligence and Smart Systems Conference (PAAISS 2026) opens today at the University of Technology (UTech), Jamaica, bringing together researchers, policymakers, industry leaders and students to examine how artificial intelligence can support development across Africa and the Caribbean.

The four-day conference, being staged in collaboration with UTech, begins with an opening ceremony at 5 p.m. in Lecture Theatre 50 of the Shared Facilities Building at the university’s Papine campus. Activities continue through Friday.

Professor Garfield Young will moderate the opening session, while UTech president Dr Kevin Brown will welcome delegates.

“PAAISS 2026 comes at a critical moment as artificial intelligence moves from being an emerging technology to becoming a fundamental driver of economic and social transformation. Our focus is not simply on what AI can do, but on how we can ensure that its development and application contribute meaningfully to the needs and aspirations of Africa and the Caribbean,” Brown said.

Remarks will be delivered by Anika Shuttleworth, chief information officer at the ICT Authority of Jamaica; Dr Paul Hector, adviser for communication and information at UNESCO’s Regional Office for the Caribbean; Dr Jane Bassey Adams, Nigerian high commissioner to Jamaica; and Senator Marlon Morgan, parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information.

Dr Thomas Ndousse-Fetter of Cameroon and the United States, general chair of the conference, and Dr David White of UTech, general co-chair, will outline the event’s vision and objectives. They will be followed by keynote speaker Christopher Reckord, chairman of the National AI Task Force, whose presentation is titled ‘Africa and CARICOM AI Collaboration: Harnessing the Potential of Approximately Two Billion AI Consumers and the Technology Ecosystem’.

Two featured panel discussions headline the opening evening. The first, ‘AI and Digital Sovereignty: A Challenge for Emerging Countries’, will be moderated by Charmaine DeLisser and feature Dr Sheldon Campbell, Professor Sean Thorpe, Simone Pasmore and Trevor Forrest.

The second, ‘AI-Driven Climate Change and Natural Disaster Modelling: Strengthening Africa-Caribbean Collaboration for Hurricane and Seismic Risk Management’, will be moderated by White. Panellists include Professor Michael Taylor, Paul Coleman, Androski Spicer and Anika Shuttleworth.

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The conference programme over the following three days includes plenary sessions, research presentations, workshops, technical discussions and networking events. Industry showcases are also expected to facilitate collaboration among academia, government, private sector participants and international institutions.

Other featured discussions include ‘Beyond Parity: Re-imagining AI, Gender, and Opportunities in Africa & the Caribbean’ on Wednesday, and the ‘ANLP Symposium: African Natural Language Processing’ on Thursday.

Among the featured speakers are Dr Mandla Gwetu of Stellenbosch University in South Africa, Dr Beatrice Ombuki-Berman of Brock University in Canada, and Dr Serestina Viriri of the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.

According to UTech, the conference “will convene researchers, policymakers, industry leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs and students to explore the opportunities and challenges associated with AI adoption, governance and innovation, with particular emphasis on the development priorities of countries across the Global South”.

“Beyond these discussions, the conference will explore practical applications of AI and smart systems in areas critical to regional development, including healthcare, education, agriculture, climate and disaster resilience, public-sector transformation and economic development”.

The conference concludes on Friday with an awards ceremony and closing remarks from Dr Brown.

The event, first held in Namibia in 2021, is being hosted in Jamaica for the first time.

“The inspiration to manifest the conference is to bring together scholars, academia and industries ... in Africa, and the Caribbean to share their knowledge in AI and smart systems,” Christopher Udeagha, senior lecturer at UTech and a member of the local organising committee, told The Gleaner.

“As an academic staff member of the Faculty of Engineering & Computing, School of Computing & Information Technology, my role as a conference organising committee member is to bring Jamaicans, Nigerians, Ghanaians and South Africans living in Jamaica to register and attend the conference.”

According to UTech, PAAISS 2026 aims to strengthen cross-regional partnerships, encourage interdisciplinary research and promote the responsible use of emerging technologies to address shared development challenges. Organisers say the conference will examine how countries across Africa and the Caribbean can move beyond being consumers of technology to become active contributors to its development and application.

The conference is free and open to the public, though registration is required. Details are available at paaiss.com.

Paul H. Williams