GR Diary
Facebook is using AI researchers to create world’s most detailed population density maps of Africa


- New AI-powered, high-res maps to help humanitarian aid and relief agencies better assist people in need
BY: Ikenna Oluka
Facebook is working closely with key non-profit and research partners to use artificial intelligence (AI) and big data to address large-scale social, health and infrastructure challenges in sub Saharan Africa. These efforts range from rural electrification in Tanzania to vaccinating people in remote corners of Malawi.
Facebook is applying the processing muscle of its compute power, its extensive data science skills and its expertise in AI and machine learning to create the world’s most detailed and accurate maps of local populations. Facebook also partners with Columbia University’s Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN (http://www.ciesin.org/)) to ensure that this effort leverages the best available administrative data for all countries involved.
The Boston-based Facebook team uses advanced computer vision and machine learning to combine satellite imagery from Digital Globe with public census data and other sources to create detailed population density maps of Africa. Using Facebook’s machine learning capabilities, Facebook started developing population density maps to provide better tools to support connectivity efforts around the world. No Facebook data has been or will be used in the project and the census and satellite data used contain no personally identifiable information.
High-resolution satellite imagery already exists for much of the world. However, prior to Facebook’s mapping project, it would have required countless hours for volunteers to comb through millions of square miles of pictures to identify which contained a tiny town or remote village.
The Facebook team used AI to solve that problem, efficiently crunching through data at a petabyte scale. For Africa alone, for example, the computer vision system examined 11.5 billion individual images to determine whether they contained a building. The team found approximately 110 million buildings in just a few days.
“Having started my career at USAID working on malaria control, I have witnessed first-hand the critical role that accurate data plays in the effectiveness of humanitarian efforts,” says Laura McGorman, a public policy manager at Facebook. “What’s exciting about projects like these that they provide an opportunity for our company to contribute to these efforts through our expertise in data and machine learning.”
In Malawi, the Missing Maps Project used these AI-powered maps to filter out the 97% of the terrain that is uninhabited. This helped to coordinate the efforts of 3,000 Red Cross volunteers in Malawi who visited roughly 100,000 houses in just three days to educate people about measles and rubella vaccines.
“The maps from Facebook ensure we focus our volunteers’ time and resources on the places they’re most needed, improving the efficacy of our programs,” says Tyler Radford, executive director of the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team, which is part of the Missing Maps Project.
In addition to assisting the Red Cross and Missing Maps Project in Malawi, the maps have been used by aid groups like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Bank, and Humanitarian OpenStreetMap. In Tanzania, Facebook’s AI-powered maps helped kick-start efforts to bring renewable electrification to rural areas.
To understand which locations would benefit most from decentralized energy solutions, the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team collaborated with the Reiner Lemoine Institut and Integration Environment and Energy to combine Facebook’s population maps with detailed data on settlement locations and structures from OpenStreetMap.
Humanitarian OpenStreetMap team personnel then travelled to villages identified as high priority and conducted surveys to understand the populations’ electricity needs. The results of these surveys were provided to agencies involved in rural electrification, helping mini-grid operators choose the most appropriate locations to begin the work.
The Facebook population density maps project now aims to keep adding new continents and countries.
Events
NOTAP Announces Plan for 2025 Technology and Innovation Summit
….Harnessing R&D and Innovation Potentials of Nigeria’s STI Ecosystem


The National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) has announced the forthcoming NOTAP Technology and Innovation Summit (NTIS 2025), scheduled to hold on Thursday, 6th and Friday, 7th November 2025 at THE HALL, 16 Musa Yar’Adua Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, commencing daily at 9:00 AM.
Themed “Harnessing R&D and Innovation Potentials of Nigeria’s STI Ecosystem,” the two-day summit will convene key leaders from government, private sector, academia, development partners, and the startup ecosystem to explore strategies for strengthening Nigeria’s innovation landscape and positioning the nation as a hub for technology-driven economic growth.
Speaking on the upcoming summit, Dr. Lady Obiageli Amadiobi, the director-general of NOTAP, emphasized that the forum will serve as a strategic platform to foster dialogue and action around innovation policy, technology transfer, intellectual property, and commercialization.
“Our goal is to accelerate the transformation of research and creativity into commercially viable enterprises that drive national development,” she noted.
Summit Highlights
The NOTAP Technology and Innovation Summit 2025 will feature:
- Ministerial Address and Keynote Sessions by renowned leaders in innovation, policy, and technology.
- High-Level Panel Discussions on key themes such as technology transfer, intellectual property sovereignty, and building an AI-ready human resources.
- Launching of Project NOVA (Nigeria’s Outsourcing Value Acceleration) and promotion of the NOTAP Local Vendor Policy (LVP) across all sectors of the economy.
- Workshops and Breakout Sessions on IP management, funding access, and talent development.
- Exhibitions and Innovation Showcases, featuring startups, research institutions, and technology companies.
- Hackathon and Pitch Showcase, for emerging innovators and young entrepreneurs.
- Networking and Partnership Sessions to foster collaboration across sectors.
The Summit will also host a Special Exhibition Pavilion to highlight Nigeria’s emerging technologies, research outputs, and development partnerships, reflecting NOTAP’s commitment to bridging the gap between invention and commercialization.
Partnership and Collaborations
The event is organized by the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) in partnership with Crestsage Limited and collaboration with stakeholders, to ensure a world-class experience that aligns with NOTAP’s mission of accelerating technology, promoting innovation and sustainable development across Nigeria.
The National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) is a parastatal under the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, mandated to regulate the acquisition of foreign technology, promote local research, and encourage the development and commercialization of indigenous technologies. Through strategic partnerships, policy advocacy, and capacity development, NOTAP continues to play pivotal roles in advancing Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem.
Events
Ortom, NOA DG, others to feature as Panelists at GOCOP 2025 Conference


The Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP) has announced that Chief Samuel Ortom, former Governor of Benue State, will serve as one of the panelists at the upcoming GOCOP 2025 Conference.
The conference theme is “Reconciling Campaign Promises with Governance Realities: Challenges and Prospects.”
A press statement by GOCOP publicity secretary, Ogbuefi Remmy Nweke, disclosed that the panel discussion will feature esteemed panelists, including Prof. Abiodun Adeniyi, Registrar, Base University, Abuja; Prof. Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika,2025 Director, Institute of Continuing Education (UNILAG); and Alhaji Lanre Issa-Orilu, Director-General, National Orientation Agency.
The conference, he said, will take place on October 9, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.
He recalled that GOCOP had earlier announced that the keynote speaker will be Rt. Hon. Aminu Bello Masari, former Speaker of the House of Representatives and immediate past Governor of Katsina State.
Events
Takang, Ladid Lead Africa’s Digital Sovereignty Debate At DACE 2025


How can Africa remain safe and powerful in a world being rapidly redefined by Artificial Intelligence?
That pressing question will take centre stage at the 13th Digital Africa Conference & Exhibition (DACE), scheduled for October 28–29, 2025, in Abuja.
The two-day gathering will be anchored by two powerhouse keynote speakers: Dr. Armstrong Takang on Day 1 and Prof. Latif Ladid on Day 2, each bringing unique expertise to Africa’s digital sovereignty conversation.
Dr. Armstrong Takang, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI), will open the conference with a keynote that situates Africa’s digital sovereignty within the broader context of economic reform, institutional innovation, and strategic governance.
A consummate professional and visionary thinker, Dr. Takang has spent decades bridging the gap between public reform and private investment across Africa and the United States. Before his current role at MOFI, he served as Special Adviser to the Honourable Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, where he led the MOFI Transformation Team.
His career includes leading Growth Alliance Partners (GAP), a pan-African firm that helped turn around several businesses to create shareholder value, and working at KPMG in New York.
He has been instrumental in designing and implementing key national initiatives such as the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), the Voluntary Asset and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS), and the ICT components of EFCC/NFIU systems.
Dr. Takang has also chaired national ICT committees and contributed to landmark policies, including Nigeria’s Content Development in ICT and the country’s 50-year Development Plan. His keynote will highlight how digital and financial sovereignty intersect to secure Africa’s long-term competitiveness.
On the other hand, Prof. Latif Ladid, Founder & President of the IPv6 Forum and Chair of the AI & Blockchain Global Forum, brings decades of global leadership in internet architecture, digital policy, and emerging technologies.
His expertise spans across pivotal roles from IEEE Future Networks to the Internet Society, 3GPP, and EU research on next-generation networks.
Organizers say his keynote will set the tone for the conference, unpacking how Africa can assert digital sovereignty, safeguard its data, and lead in shaping the ethics and standards of AI on the global stage.
“This year’s theme, ‘Sovereign Intelligence: Africa’s Voice in the Global Digital Order,’ isn’t just a concept, it’s a necessity,” said Dr. Evans Woherem, Chairman of Digital Africa Consult. “Prof. Ladid’s keynote will highlight what it takes for Africa to remain safe, independent, and powerful in the new AI era.”
At a time when global powers are racing to define AI norms and secure digital dominance, Africa risks being left behind if it fails to act. Much of its technology remains imported, its data stored abroad, and its languages invisible in mainstream AI systems.
DACE 2025 is designed to change this narrative, by equipping Africa with the tools, strategies, and partnerships to become a proactive co-author of the digital future.
The conference will feature high-level dialogues on digital sovereignty, policy innovation, and cross-border cooperation, alongside exhibitions of homegrown startups, developer workshops, and showcases of African-built AI tools for health, agriculture, finance, and education.
Beyond the panels and showcases, DACE 2025 is expected to produce a concrete roadmap for Africa’s digital sovereignty.
“This isn’t just about technology,” noted Woherem. “It’s about agency, safety, and independence. With Prof. Ladid setting the stage, we hope to leave Abuja with a united vision of Africa’s place in the global AI order.”
With delegates expected from across Africa and the world, the two-day gathering promises to be a defining moment in the continent’s digital journey.
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