Dear partners,

This is a reminder that our meeting is scheduled for 10:30 AM CEST today.

@WPLeaders: please ensure your respective WP descriptions are uploaded to the shared folder before the meeting to facilitate a productive discussion.

Thank you. Best regards,

Emilie

On 5 Sep 2025, at 19:06, Émilie Mespoulhes emilie.mespoulhes@lip6.fr wrote:

Dear all,

Please save the date: the 3rd preparation meeting is scheduled for Wed. 10 Sept. 10.30 am (CEST).

You will find below the zoom link and the calendar invite.

Best regards, Émilie

---

Topic: GenAI for Africa - Preparation meeting #3 Time: Sep 10, 2025 10:30 AM Paris Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82085515958

View meeting insights with Zoom AI Companion https://us02web.zoom.us/launch/edl?muid=091e5b9a-84b8-48b3-910a-bb882b25967f

Meeting ID: 820 8551 5958

---

<meeting-82085515958 (1).ics>

...

On 5 Sep 2025, at 11:44, Émilie Mespoulhes emilie.mespoulhes@lip6.fr wrote:

Dear all,

Please find below the poll for Preparation Meeting #3. Kindly submit your availability by today so we can agree on the time slot during this afternoon’s meeting.

https://evento.renater.fr/survey/genai-for-africa-pre...-e20q9qpr

Thank you for your prompt reply. Best regards,

Émilie

---

Genai-for-africa mailing list -- genai-for-africa@npafi.org To unsubscribe send an email to genai-for-africa-leave@npafi.org

Dear all,

We are currently experiencing a connection issue and are actively working to resolve it. Please stay connected—we will grant you access as soon as possible.

We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience.

Kind regards, Émilie

On 10 Sep 2025, at 09:17, Émilie Mespoulhes emilie.mespoulhes@lip6.fr wrote:

Dear partners,

This is a reminder that our meeting is scheduled for 10:30 AM CEST today.

@WPLeaders: please ensure your respective WP descriptions are uploaded to the shared folder before the meeting to facilitate a productive discussion.

Thank you. Best regards,

Emilie

...

On 5 Sep 2025, at 19:06, Émilie Mespoulhes emilie.mespoulhes@lip6.fr wrote:

Dear all,

Please save the date: the 3rd preparation meeting is scheduled for Wed. 10 Sept. 10.30 am (CEST).

You will find below the zoom link and the calendar invite.

Best regards, Émilie

---

Topic: GenAI for Africa - Preparation meeting #3 Time: Sep 10, 2025 10:30 AM Paris Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82085515958

View meeting insights with Zoom AI Companion https://us02web.zoom.us/launch/edl?muid=091e5b9a-84b8-48b3-910a-bb882b25967f

Meeting ID: 820 8551 5958

---

<meeting-82085515958 (1).ics>

...

On 5 Sep 2025, at 11:44, Émilie Mespoulhes emilie.mespoulhes@lip6.fr wrote:

Dear all,

Please find below the poll for Preparation Meeting #3. Kindly submit your availability by today so we can agree on the time slot during this afternoon’s meeting.

https://evento.renater.fr/survey/genai-for-africa-pre...-e20q9qpr

Thank you for your prompt reply. Best regards,

Émilie

---

Genai-for-africa mailing list -- genai-for-africa@npafi.org To unsubscribe send an email to genai-for-africa-leave@npafi.org

Dear partners,

For those unable to attend today’s meeting, please find the AI-generated minutes below.

Kind regards, Émilie

Quick recap

The team discussed coordination challenges and scheduling issues for an upcoming meeting. They explored the development of a GenAI solution for living labs, focusing on specific areas like smart agriculture and addressing challenges related to data infrastructure and skills gaps in Africa. The group reviewed work packages and discussed the implementation of living labs, emphasizing the need for rapid development and validation of building blocks while addressing technical and socioeconomic aspects across different locations. Next steps

Living Labs: Define clear priorities that align with their roadmap and will help identify common building blocks for GenAI technologies Vitalis: Organize a meeting today or tomorrow with African partners to discuss and evaluate their preparedness for the proposal, the services needed from the living labs Living Labs: Validate the program and priorities for the proposal before building blocks selection begins Identify commonalities that can be transformed into GenAI technology building blocks Narrow down specific aspects they want to develop with GenAI solutions Specify concrete use cases they want to demonstrate African partners: Provide descriptions of datasets they already have or can realistically produce during the project All partners: Identify AI building blocks based on Living Labs' requirements Determine whether to focus on text-only or incorporate voice/speech capabilities based on literacy levels of end users Work package leaders: Organize small calls to brainstorm and align on proposed work Develop a template for each application service to be demonstrated in the proposal Stavroula will contact the living labs in relation with WP4 All partners: Finalise the proposal within the 22-day deadline Next call: early next week - Emilie will send a doodle. WP to be completed and templates fully filled out by then. Summary

GenAI Living Labs Development Focus

The team discussed the development of a GenAI solution for living labs, emphasizing the need to narrow down specific aspects to be developed within the project. Serge highlighted the importance of identifying a few specific areas to focus on, particularly in smart agriculture and addressing challenges related to data, compute infrastructure, and skills gaps in Africa. Raffaele raised a question about image classification tools for data management frameworks, which Serge agreed was important but should not be a priority for the project. The team acknowledged the urgency of the proposal writing process, with a deadline in 22 days. Multi-Language Solutions for Farmers

Serge and Raffaele discussed the focus of the Living Lab project, emphasizing the need to address language barriers and develop multi-language solutions to make technology accessible for farmers. They agreed that the project should be validated by the Living Lab before selecting building blocks, ensuring alignment with the roadmap. Louis suggested organizing subgroups related to work packages and proposed holding small calls to brainstorm and align proposals with other partners involved. Local Languages Project Proposal Challenges

The team discussed the challenges of developing a proposal for a project involving local languages and speech processing, considering the literacy levels of potential users. They emphasized the need to decide quickly on priorities and technologies to be included, with Serge highlighting the importance of aligning with the project's narrative. Vitalis suggested that African partners hold a meeting to discuss their preparedness for the proposal, given the tight deadline and limited availability of key personnel. The group acknowledged the urgency of the situation and the need to move forward with the proposal preparation. Living Labs GenAI Building Blocks

The team discussed the implementation of living labs and agreed to identify and validate building blocks that can be rapidly developed, with Panayiotis suggesting that some blocks are already well-defined. Serge emphasized the need to address questions raised by Raffaele regarding AI building blocks for the three living labs. The end goal is to create advanced, customized GenAI building blocks that will be onboarded by the living labs to support future products or proof of concepts, which may involve engaging local farmers for applicability testing. Living Labs Data Integration Strategy

The group discussed the development and integration of technology and services for Living Labs, with a focus on data collection and curation. Raffaele emphasized the need for concrete data sets and specific use cases from each Living Lab to strengthen the proposal. Stavroula highlighted the importance of integrating new tools with existing platforms. The team agreed on the need for a meeting among African partners to decide on services and data sets. Vitalis volunteered to arrange this meeting, and Émilie requested participants to communicate any agenda constraints to him. Proposal Structure and Alignment Discussion

The team discussed the structure and approach for their proposal, emphasizing the need to identify specific local needs and propose tailored solutions while keeping some aspects open for further development. Frédéric highlighted the importance of aligning the proposal with the call's objectives and avoiding over-specificity in the initial stages. Émilie encouraged work package leaders to provide concise updates, and Vitalis briefly mentioned the focus of Work Package 1, which involves joint activities with Strathmore and Focus. Agricultural Needs Analysis Work Plan

Vitalis presented a work plan for analyzing Africa's agricultural needs, which involves identifying stakeholders, conducting desk research, developing survey questions, administering surveys, and analyzing results to determine solutions. Émilie encouraged collaboration and mentioned Thomas as a co-leader. Stavroula offered support and suggested contacting Thomas for further details. Louis raised a question about whether the focus should be solely on European GenAI solutions or if non-European initiatives should be included, to which Vitalis responded that he would look into it. Work Package 2 Planning Discussion

The team discussed work package 2, led by CNR and UMA, which involves gap analysis, state-of-the-art analysis, and organizing focus groups with experts. Raffaele explained the tasks, including identifying existing frameworks for product development and leveraging APIs. Farouk expressed concerns about delays but agreed with the approach. Panayiotis raised questions about the timeline and overlap with work package 1, which Louis addressed by explaining the need for stakeholder involvement and innovative data collection methods in limited-resource settings. Work Package 2 Progress Review

The team discussed the progress and finalization of Work Package 2, with Frédéric clarifying that while the project should aim to bring most results from TRL 4 to 6, exceptions are allowed for already developed solutions at higher TRLs. They also addressed the need to define Work Package 3, with Panayiotis and Louis planning to provide recommendations after further discussion. Émilie encouraged direct communication among work package leaders and contributors, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and flexibility due to the project's tight timeline. Living Labs Project Integration Overview

The team discussed the Living Labs project, focusing on validation and implementation tasks across different locations including Kenya and Senegal. Stavroula presented an overview of the work packages, highlighting the technical and socioeconomic aspects of the project, while Raffaele emphasized the integration of solutions developed in WP3 into the Living Labs. The team agreed on the need for further preparation and deployment of technical partnerships, with Raffaele clarifying that algorithms would be developed in WP3, and the WP would focus on integration and validation. GenAI Africa Replication Strategy Discussion

The team discussed Work Package 5 on replication, with Frédéric proposing a GenAI Africa kit containing different blocks that could be reused across Africa. Raffaele expressed interest in the training aspect but needed to consider the feasibility of the kit. The group agreed to develop replication guidelines and methods, organize workshops, and define sustainability and exploitation strategies, pending feedback from stakeholders.

Émilie announced the next call would be scheduled for early next week, with work packages to be completed and templates fully filled out by then. Living Labs and GenAI Progress

The team discussed progress on a project involving Living Labs and GenAI initiatives, focusing on specific regions including Africa. They addressed challenges with scientific expertise and the need to differentiate their solutions from existing products on the market. Émilie and Frédéric expressed hope that the discussions with Raffaele and Panayiotis would lead to clearer outcomes, particularly regarding the narrative and choice of domains like language and data management. They also touched on the importance of properly defining Work Packages and ensuring alignment with the project proposal.

On 10 Sep 2025, at 10:31, Émilie Mespoulhes emilie.mespoulhes@lip6.fr wrote:

Dear all,

We are currently experiencing a connection issue and are actively working to resolve it. Please stay connected—we will grant you access as soon as possible.

We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience.

Kind regards, Émilie

...

On 10 Sep 2025, at 09:17, Émilie Mespoulhes emilie.mespoulhes@lip6.fr wrote:

Dear partners,

This is a reminder that our meeting is scheduled for 10:30 AM CEST today.

@WPLeaders: please ensure your respective WP descriptions are uploaded to the shared folder before the meeting to facilitate a productive discussion.

Thank you. Best regards,

Emilie

...

On 5 Sep 2025, at 19:06, Émilie Mespoulhes emilie.mespoulhes@lip6.fr wrote:

Dear all,

Please save the date: the 3rd preparation meeting is scheduled for Wed. 10 Sept. 10.30 am (CEST).

You will find below the zoom link and the calendar invite.

Best regards, Émilie

---

Topic: GenAI for Africa - Preparation meeting #3 Time: Sep 10, 2025 10:30 AM Paris Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82085515958

View meeting insights with Zoom AI Companion https://us02web.zoom.us/launch/edl?muid=091e5b9a-84b8-48b3-910a-bb882b25967f

Meeting ID: 820 8551 5958

---

<meeting-82085515958 (1).ics>

...

On 5 Sep 2025, at 11:44, Émilie Mespoulhes emilie.mespoulhes@lip6.fr wrote:

Dear all,

Please find below the poll for Preparation Meeting #3. Kindly submit your availability by today so we can agree on the time slot during this afternoon’s meeting.

https://evento.renater.fr/survey/genai-for-africa-pre...-e20q9qpr

Thank you for your prompt reply. Best regards,

Émilie

---

Genai-for-africa mailing list -- genai-for-africa@npafi.org To unsubscribe send an email to genai-for-africa-leave@npafi.org