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ADSC2026: African Data Science Conference
University of the Witwatersrand
Johannesburg, South Africa, June 24-26, 2026
Submission linkhttps://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=adsc2026
Abstract registration deadlineMarch 31, 2026
Submission deadlineApril 30, 2026

ADSC 2026 – African Data Science Conference

University of the Witwatersrand (Wits University), Johannesburg, South Africa, 24–26 June 2026

Theme: African Data Science for Africa

Call for Papers

ADSC 2026: African Data Science Conference is a flagship continental forum dedicated to advancing research, innovation, and practice in data science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, statistics, and analytics, with a strong emphasis on African contexts, challenges, and opportunities.

Hosted by the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 24 to 26 June 2026, the conference brings together researchers, industry practitioners, policymakers, and postgraduate scholars from across Africa and beyond.

ADSC 2026 aims to:

  • Foster high-quality scientific exchange

  • Promote interdisciplinary collaboration

  • Bridge the gap between theory, application, and policy

  • Strengthen the African data science and AI ecosystem

Conference Themes

ADSC 2026 welcomes submissions aligned with the following themes (but not limited to):

  1. Foundations of Data Science, Statistics, and Machine Learning: Theoretical, methodological, and computational advances underpinning modern data science and AI.

  2. Applied Data Science and Industry Case Studies: Real-world applications across African economies, including finance, telecommunications, healthcare, energy, agriculture, climate, and the public sector.

  3. Artificial Intelligence, Ethics, Governance, and Responsible Data Science: Fairness, accountability, transparency, explainability, bias mitigation, and policy considerations in data-driven systems.

  4. Large Language Models (LLMs) and Generative AI for Data Science: Methods, applications, evaluation, risks, and limitations of LLMs and generative models in analytics, decision-making, education, and research.

  5. Data Science for Sustainable Development and Societal Impact: Data-driven approaches addressing climate change, public health, infrastructure, education, inequality, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

  6. Geospatial, Remote Sensing, and Environmental Data Science: Spatial analytics, Earth observation, climate modelling, and environmental intelligence for African development.

  7. Interdisciplinary and Emerging Paradigms in Data Science: Cross-disciplinary research integrating data science with mathematics, physics, engineering, economics, social sciences, and emerging areas such as quantum data science.

  8. Data Science Education, Curriculum Design, and Pedagogy: Teaching innovations, curriculum development, assessment, and capacity building in data science and AI.

  9. Capacity Building and the African Data Science Ecosystem: Skills development, research capacity, institutional strengthening, and collaborative models for growing Africa’s data science landscape.

  10. Open Data, Research Infrastructure, and Data Governance in Africa: Data sharing, stewardship, digital public goods, research infrastructure, and governance frameworks.

Scope of Contributions

The conference welcomes theoretical, methodological, applied, and interdisciplinary contributions that address both global advances and Africa-specific challenges, spanning academia, industry, government, and policy.

Submission Categories

ADSC 2026 accepts submissions in the following categories:

Full Papers (Proceedings Track)

  • Completed, high-quality research with clear theoretical, methodological, or applied contributions.

  • Full papers will undergo a rigorous double-blind peer-review process.

  • Accepted full papers will be presented orally at the conference.

  • Accepted papers will be considered for inclusion in the official conference proceedings.

Extended Abstracts (Presentation Track)

  • Abstract-only submissions for oral presentation.

  • Suitable for emerging work, applied studies, industry contributions, and policy-focused research.

  • Extended abstracts will be reviewed for relevance, clarity, and thematic alignment.

Posters

  • Intended for early-stage research, Honours projects, early Master’s work, exploratory studies, and applied case studies.

  • Posters provide an opportunity for interactive discussion and feedback.

Submission Guidelines

  • Submissions must be made via EasyChair.

  • Authors must follow the submission instructions provided on the EasyChair submission page.

Important Dates

  • Abstract Registration Deadline: 31 March 2026

  • Abstract Acceptance Notification: 15 April 2026

  • Full Paper Submission Deadline: 30 April 2026

  • Paper Acceptance Notification: 31 May 2026

  • Early Registration Deadline: 31 May 2026

  • Optional Workshops: 23 June 2026

  • Conference Dates: 24–26 June 2026

Committees

Scientific Committee

  • Professor Inger Fabris-Rotelli (University of Pretoria) – Chair

  • Dr. Farai Mlambo (University of the Witwatersrand) – Conference Chair

  • Dr. Taariq Surtee (University of the Witwatersrand)

  • Professor Innocent Maposa (Stellenbosch University)

  • Dr. Isaac Nyambiya (Great Zimbabwe University)

  • Dr. Sunday Oladejo (Stellenbosch University)

  • Dr. Humphery Brydon (University of the Western Cape)

  • Dr. Peter Olukanmi (University of Johannesburg)

Organising Committee

  • Dr. Taariq Surtee (University of the Witwatersrand) - Chair of Organising Committee

  • Dr. Farai Mlambo (University of the Witwatersrand)

  • Ms. Eleni Flack-Davison (University of the Witwatersrand)

  • Mr. Lazarus Matizirofa (University of the Witwatersrand)

Submission & Contact Information

Submissions must be made via EasyChair: https://easychair.org/cfp/ADSC2026

For all questions regarding submissions, please contact:

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