Deep Learning Indaba opens Lagos form

Deep Learning Indaba has opened a recruitment form aimed at underrepresented African AI communities for its 2026 gathering in Lagos, adding a targeted access route alongside its broader attendance process. The organization said in a post on X that the form is intended for communities including the Central African Republic, Chad and South Sudan, and that applications will remain open until May 29. The annual event is scheduled for August 2-7 at Pan-Atlantic University in Lagos, according to the conference website. The site says applications to participate in the 2026 Indaba are now open. ### Which communities did the call single out? The X post from Deep Learning Indaba named underrepresented African AI communities and explicitly cited the Central African Republic, Chad and South Sudan as examples. The post said the organizers were opening a form for people from those communities to attend the Lagos event. The organization did not present the call as the main registration route for all attendees. Instead, the wording positioned it as a targeted recruitment effort for communities the group considers underrepresented within the continent’s AI ecosystem. ### How does this fit with the main 2026 application process? The Deep Learning Indaba 2026 applications page says in-person attendance is open to anyone “passionate about AI and its impact on the continent,” including students, researchers, professionals, entrepreneurs, educators and mentors. That page also says the registration ticket lottery is open until May 30 and describes it as a paid route to attend. The same applications page says the financial-aid route closed on April 4, 2026. It also says virtual registration is open, giving participants online access to talks, questions and networking through the event platform. ### What is the Lagos event organizers are recruiting for? The Deep Learning Indaba 2026 homepage says the event will take place at Pan-Atlantic University in Lagos, Nigeria, from August 2-7, 2026. (deeplearningindaba.com) The site describes the Indaba as a gathering of Africa’s AI and machine learning community and says the 2026 program will include keynotes, tutorials, workshops, practical sessions, research presentations and community discussions. The 2026 site says this year’s theme is “Sovereign Intelligence. African Scale.” On the homepage, the organizers say the gathering is intended to bring together students, faculty, industry practitioners and entrepreneurs working on African AI. ### Why does the separate form matter in practice? May 29 is the closing date Deep Learning Indaba gave for the underrepresented-communities form in its X post. (deeplearningindaba.com) That date comes one day before the May 30 deadline listed on the main conference site for the general delegate application lottery, making the targeted form a separate but closely timed pathway into the event. The conference applications page says the Indaba is generally oversubscribed and that organizers use a lottery system for the paid registration route. It also says participants are selected from across Africa and elsewhere and are exposed to AI leaders, research networks and opportunities to present their own work. ### What happens next? (deeplearningindaba.com) May 29 is the deadline Deep Learning Indaba gave for the targeted recruitment form, while May 30 is the deadline shown on the 2026 conference site for the general delegate lottery. The event itself is scheduled for August 2-7 at Pan-Atlantic University in Lagos, and the applications page says virtual registration is already open for those attending online. (deeplearningindaba.com)