What are you working on?
My name is Dr Moses Thiga. I work at Kabarak University as a researcher, lecturer and researcher administrator. I am working on health informatics and specifically looking to how we can apply Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of things in the area of health, specifically my current project, it is in the area of predicting blood pressure for expected mothers in order to be able to prevent and manage preeclampsia. We collect data using smartwatches and want to take that into a machine learning pipeline to be able to predict future occurrences of abnormal blood pressure.
How do you perceive development and Artificial Intelligence?
AI for development in the context of Africa needs to be an initiative that begins by identifying what are Africa’s real problems on the ground. Once these problems are identified, then we need to have a viable approach to solving these problems, that is both stakeholder’s focus, community, engagement, and it needs to have a keen emphasis on the capacity building of Africans, to solve African problems, and funding needs to be there. And not necessarily from donors, but especially from the government.
What is your blue sky project in Africa?
My blue sky project for Africa would be an activity that helps Africa deal with its health challenges. Something that helps us to, both, predict and manage medical conditions, especially epidemics. Even in the area of noncommunicable diseases. Lifestyle diseases are beginning to increase in Africa. Those would be areas of keen interest for me.