NUST Showcases AI Innovation at Deep Learning IndabaX Namibia 2026
The Deep Learning IndabaX Namibia 2026 hosted by NUST under the theme, "Advancing Inclusive and Responsible AI Innovation for a Digitally Empowered Namibia," recently concluded. The two-day event brought together students, researchers, academics and industry professionals to explore the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI), deep learning and machine learning in addressing real-world challenges.
The programme featured technical talks, hands-on workshops, panel discussions, a hackathon, a poster exhibition and live demonstrations, including sessions on building a chatbot in just 10 minutes and the use of autonomous drones for livestock farming in low-resource Namibian environments.
A key highlight was the Hackathon, which challenged participants to develop an AI-powered agent capable of combining Namibia's rangeland and pasture data with live weather information to provide practical grazing and livestock management advice for farmers. Nine teams entered the competition, with seven advancing to the final presentation stage before a panel of academic and industry experts.
The winning team, Farm Command, comprising Teofilus Shaduka, Hilma Uupindi, Tangi Amiti and Penehafo Nakale, claimed first place and received a cash prize of N$6,000. Omuhete secured second place with a cash prize of N$3,500, while Savanna Compass placed third, earning them N$2,500.
The poster exhibition also celebrated innovative research, with Alfred Johannes, a Master of Data Science student at NUST, taking top honours. His project, "Developing a Skeleton-based and Face-aware Machine Learning System for Live Namibian Sign Language Recognition and Translation to English," explores the use of machine learning to bridge communication barriers for Namibia's deaf community by translating Namibian Sign Language into English and Afrikaans. As the winner, he received an all-expenses-paid scholarship to attend the 2027 Deep Learning Indaba in South Africa. Reflecting on his aspirations, Johannes said: “I am building toward a career where I can be the engineer companies trust to architect and manage their systems end-to-end, from infrastructure to intelligence.”
The event received financial support from MTC, the main sponsor, and the Deep Learning Indaba, while Gbemileke Emmanuel Falade, a Data Analyst specialist sponsored the third-place hackathon prize. Industry partners, including CRAN, NCRST, Access Bank, New Creation Solutions, DataCom Technologies and FNB, contributed expertise throughout the programme.
Looking ahead, event organiser and Software Engenieering lecturer, Ndinelago Nashandi revealed that they are preparing Namibia's first team for the International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI) in 2027 and encourage greater Namibian participation at the Deep Learning Indaba in South Africa, reinforcing the importance of continued collaboration to grow the country's AI talent pipeline. “Achieving these goals will require sustained support from local stakeholders and industry. We therefore call upon organisations and individuals to partner with us to develop Namibia’s AI talent and create opportunities for young Namibians to participate in these important continental and international platforms,” she implored.
