PROGRAM
The 2023 IEEE AFRICON Program will include;
- Technical Paper Presentations
- Keynote Sessions
- Panel Sessions
- Tutorials
- Workshops
- Post Graduate Forum
- Industry Forum
- Welcome Reception
- Dinner
- Exhibitions
- Tours in and around Nairobi, Kenya
Program at a glance
| STUDENT CAREER FAIR // STUDENTS AND YOUNG PROFESSIONALS CONGRESS // IEEE SPS FORUM // IEEE PHOTONICS WORKSHOPS // IEEE STANDARDS ASSOCIATION WORKSHOPS | ||||
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| Time (EAT)/Day | Tuesday 19th September 2023 | |||
| 0800 - 1115 | 2023 IEEE AFRICON PRE-CONFERENCE EVENTS REGISTRATION | |||
| 0900 - 0925 | Introductory Remarks Stephen Okwiri - IEEE SPS Kenya Chair Humphrey Muhindi - IEEE AFRICON General Chair Esther Muchiri - IEEE Kenya Section Chair Prof. Tom Coughlin - IEEE President Elect |
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| 0925 - 0950 | Keynote:The Future of Work: Role of Students & Young Professionals in Advancing Technology in Africa Towards Presence in the Global Stage by Prof Saifur Rahman IEEE President & CEO | IEEE PHOTONICS SOCIETY TRACK Session 1 (Room 2) | IEEE STANDARDS ASSOCIATION WORKSHOP Part 1: IEEE Standards, Why they Matter, and Introduction to IEEE SA’s Planet Positive 2030 for Sustainability (Room 3) |
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| 0950 - 1015 | Keynote: Leading Teams and Overcoming Transient Conflicts by Prof. Antonio Luque Past IEEE R8 Director University of Seville, Spain | IEEE PHOTONICS SOCIETY TRACK Session 2 (Room 2) |
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| 1015 - 1100 | Workshop: Digression on the notion of scale in discrete-time: Scale-shift, Mellin transform and scale-filtering by Prof. Mamadou Mbuop, University of Reims Champagne Ardenne, France | IEEE Volunteering Workshop by Prof. Antonio Luque Past IEEE R8 Director University of Seville, Spain | IEEE PHOTONICS SOCIETY TRACK Session 3 (Room 2) |
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| 1100 - 1115 | TEA/COFFEE BREAK | |||
| 1115 - 1200 | Keynote: Disruption by Artificial Intelligence by Dr. Girmaw Abebe Tadesse, Principal Research Science Manager, Microsoft | IEEE PHOTONICS SOCIETY TRACK Session 4 (Room 2) | IEEE STANDARDS ASSOCIATION WORKSHOP Part 2: Workshop to Apply the Basic Sustainability Assessment Tool - We Want Your Feedback (Room 3) |
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| 1200 - 1300 | Panel: Ignite the Sparks of Entrepreneurial Alchemy Dr. Brighton Kithendu Prof. Mamadou Mbuop Prof. Ciira Maina Moderator: Dr. Njeri Ngaruiya | IEEE PHOTONICS SOCIETY TRACK Session 5 (Room 2) |
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| 1300 - 1400 | ROUND TABLE NETWORKING AND FRIENDLY LUNCH | |||
| 1400 - 1445 | Workshop: From Subspace to Deep Structure Learning: Playing with Pixels and Atoms by Prof. Hamid Krim North Carolina State University, Raleigh, USA | IEEE PHOTONICS SOCIETY TRACK Session 6 (Room 2) |
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| 1445 - 1545 | Roundtable discussion on Innovation & Career Development Panelists: eMentoring Africa, Y-Gen (KenGen), KENET, NACOSTI, Kenia (Kenya National Innovation Agency) Moderator: Dr. Edward Ombuyi, ANU | IEEE PHOTONICS SOCIETY TRACK Session 7 (Room 2) |
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| 1545-1630 | Industry 4.0 Summer School Outcome: Best Project Pitch | IEEE PHOTONICS SOCIETY TRACK Session 8 (Room 2) |
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| 1630 - 1730 | TEA/COFFEE BREAK | |||
| 1800 - 2000 | IEEE SPS NETWORKING COCKTAIL/DINNER & IEEE KENYA SPONSORED SENIOR MEMBER ELEVATION EVENT |
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| IEEE AFRICON 2023 PROGRAM DAY 1 | ||||
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| Time (EAT)/Day | Wednesday 20th September 2023 | |||
| 0800 - 1115 | 2023 IEEE AFRICON ONSITE REGISTRATION | |||
| 0900 - 0905 | Kenyan National Anthem & East African Anthem |
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| 0905 - 0910 | EXHIBITIONS To continue throughout the day | Opening Remarks Humphrey Muhindi General Chair, IEEE AFRICON 2023 |
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| 0910 - 0915 | Opening Remarks Esther Muchiri Chair, IEEE Kenya Section |
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| 0915 - 0920 | Opening Remarks Prof Vincenzo Piuri Director, IEEE Region 8 |
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| 0920 - 0925 | Opening Remarks Dr. Thomas M. Coughlin, IEEE President-Elect |
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| 0925 - 0930 | Opening Remarks Prof. Saifur Rahman, IEEE President |
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| 0930 - 1000 | Opening Remarks & Keynote Address Eng. John Kipchumba Tanui, MBS, The Principal Secretary, State Department for ICT and Digital Economy in the Ministry of Information, Communications and Digital Economy, Kenya |
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| 1000 - 1030 | Keynote Address Prof. Saifur Rahman IEEE President and CEO |
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| 1030 - 1100 | Keynote Address Sekou L. Remy Staff Research Scientist, IBM Research Africa (Kenya Lab) |
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| 1100 - 1115 | TEA/COFFEE BREAK | |||
| 1115 - 1230 | PANELBreakout Rooms Climate Change Sustainability and Resilience Panel Chair Prof. Eng. Izael Da Silva – DVC Research and Innovation, Strathmore University. Session 1: Kenya Carbon Emission Reduction Tool (KCERT) Panelists 1. Eng. Isaac Kiva, OGW - Secretary, Renewable Energy, Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, Kenya – Keynote Address. 2. Dr. John Olukuru – Head of Data Science and Analytics, Strathmore University – Data Analytics and Digitization. 3. Ignatius Maranga – Electrical Engineer and Researcher, Strathmore University – Electric Mobility. 4. Prof. Saifur Rahman - IEEE President and CEO 6. Teddy Nalubega - Researcher, Strathmore Universityf Session 2: Green Hydrogen (GH2) Panelists 1. Prof. Eng. Izael Da Silva – DVC Research and Innovation, Strathmore University – Keynote Address. 2. Thomas Bundi – Quality Manager and Researcher, Strathmore University – Green Hydrogen Innovations and Applications. 3. David Mutisya – Director, Renewable Energy, Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, Kenya – Green Hydrogen Policies and Regulations. 4. Herbert Lwanga - IEEE Humanitarian Technologies Board (HTB) Chair Maike Luiken - IEEE Standards Association and Chair Planet Positive 2030 | PANEL Main Hall Sustainable Deployment of 5G in Africa- Enabling the MPESA’s of 5G Panel Chairs Prof. Fisseha Mekuria - Malmö University, Sweden Dr. Jari Handelberg - Chairperson, StartNorth, Finland Panelists Mr Chalew Demille, Chief Executive Wireless Network Division, Ethiotelecom, Ethiopia. Mr Albert Mwaniki, Chief Radio Strategy Officer, Safaricom, Kenya Todd Ashton, Vice President and Managing Director, Ericsson South and East Africa. Prof. Mjumo Mzyece, Wits Business School, WBS, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. Ramy Hashem, Nokia Managing Director, Kenya Adam Lane, Managing Director Huawei, Kenya. Dr Anwer Al Durami, IEEE 5G_6G Testbed, Montreal, Canada | PANEL Breakout Rooms AI and Emerging Economies: Unlocking Potential for Growth and Impact in Africa Panel Chair Ganesh Mani, PhD, Distinguished Service Professor of Innovation Practice, Tepper @ CMU Panelists 1. Kamran Ahmad, Founder & CEO, Kivu Choice 2. Vanathi Gopalakrishnan, Assoc. Professor of Biomedical Informatics, Univ. of Pittsburgh 3. Richard Mathenge, ex-Sama (ChatGPT Team Lead) and Time 100 AI List 4. Michael Mbuthia, E. Africa Regional Director, AfricaNenda |
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| 1230 - 1300 | Keynote Address Eng. Isaac Kiva, OGW Secretary, Renewable Energy, Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, Kenya |
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| 1300 - 1330 | Keynote Address Hon. Ibrahim Matola Minister of Energy, Malawi |
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| 1330 - 1430 | ROUND TABLE NETWORKING AND FRIENDLY LUNCH | |||
| 1430 - 1600 | PANEL Emerging Digital Technologies (UAVs/Robotics/AI, Communication) for Biodiversity Rescue & Protection Panel Chairs Dr. Dithoto Modungwa - CSIR, South Africa Prof. Fisseha Mekuria - Malmö University, Sweden. Prof. Waltenegus Dargie - Technical University of Dresden, Germany Panelists Dr L. Smith-Adao, Principal Researcher, CSIR South Africa Dr T. Mthombeni - Water Research Commission, South Africa Prof. Christina Bjerken, Malmö University Prof. W. Dargie, Technical University of Dresden, TU-Dresden, Germany | INDUSTRY FORUM Panelists 1. Dr. Tom Coughlin, IEEE President Elect 2. Costas Stasopoulos, Chair IEEE Industry Engagement Committee 3. Toni Mattila, Chair IEEE Region 8 Action for Industry Subcommittee 4. Dr. Kamau Gachigi, Executive Director, Gearbox Europlacer 5. Latiff Cherono, General Manager, Gearbox Europlacer 6. Marios Antoniou, Chair, Technical Activities Chair, IEEE Region 8 Agenda 1. Opening words (background motivation), Toni Mattila (5 min) 2. Keynote: “Innovations for Digital Transformation / Industry 4.0”, Thomas Coughlin, IEEE President Elect 3. Focused talk: “Leveraging World Class SMT-PCB Assembly in Kenya for the African Market and Beyond”, Latiff Cherono, GM Gearbox Europlacer 4. IEEE Industry Engagement Committee (IEC), Costas Stasopoulos, Chair, IEC 5. IEEE Action for Industry goals and actions Toni Mattila, AfI Chair 6. Technical Activities in Region 8, Marios Antoniou, Chair, Technical Activities Chair Region 8 7. Planned conversation; moderator: Costas Stasopoulos 8. Q&A (5 min) | WORKSHOP FinTech-driven financial inclusion in Africa: Innovations, Challenges, and Opportunities Workshop Chairs Prof. Chimwemwe Chipeta - Director, Wits Fintech Hub, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa Prof. Edith Luhanga - Assistant Research Professor, Carnegie Mellon University Africa, Kigali, Rwanda Prof. Patrick McSharry - Research Professor, Carnegie Mellon University Africa, Kigali, Rwanda Karen Sowon PhD - Postdoctoral Research Associate, Carnegie Mellon University Africa, Kigali, Rwanda Ganesh Mani, PhD - Distinguished Service Professor of Innovation Practice, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA |
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| 1600 - 1630 | Keynote Address Prof. Vincenzo Piuri Director & Delegate, IEEE Region 8 |
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| 1630 - 1700 | Keynote Address (Main Auditorium) George Njuguna, Director, Information Technology (CIO) Safaricom PLC, Kenya |
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| 1700 - 1730 | Keynote Address (Main Auditorium) Maike Luiken, PhD, SMIEEE, IEEE-HKN, FIEC Professor, Western University, Canada Chair Planet Positive (IEEE SA) |
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| 1730 - 1800 | COFFEE NETWORKING BREAK | |||
| 1800 - 1830 | COFFEE NETWORKING BREAK | |||
| 1830 - 2000 | WELCOME RECEPTION | |||
| IEEE AFRICON 2023 PROGRAM DAY 2 | |||
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| Time (EAT)/Day | Thursday 21st September 2023 | ||
| 0800 - 1115 | 2023 IEEE AFRICON ONSITE REGISTRATION | ||
| 0900 - 0905 | EXHIBITION To continue throughout the day | WELCOME REMARKS AND INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE DAY (Main Auditorium) TPC Chair, Dr Mary Ahuna |
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| 0900 - 0945 | POSTGRADUATE FORUM Session 1 (Main Auditorium) Research Management & Funding for Higher Education Institutions: Opportunities, Risks, and Challenges Moderator/Session Chair: Prof. Thomas JO Afullo, Emeritus Professor, University of Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa. 1. Research Funding and Management in South Africa, SADC, and Africa Prof. Fuluphelo Nelwamondo, CEO, National Research Fund (NRF), South Africa 2. Research Funding Opportunities for Sub-Saharan African Universities Prof. Nelson Ijumba, International Research and Innovation Programme Manager Coventry University, Africa Hub, Kigali, Rwanda 3. Challenges of Postgraduate Research Management and Funding in A Private University Prof. Deogratius Jaganyi, Vice-Chancellor, Mount Kenya University, Thika, Kenya 4. Postgraduate Funding & Research in North Africa and The Diaspora Prof. Mohsen Farid, Professor of Computational Physics Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland. 5. Q & A Panel All of the above facilitators | PAPER PRESENTATIONS (All Tracks = 6 rooms @ 6 papers each) Breakout Rooms at the Djibouti Walk Track Labels are on Each Door  View the Full Paper Presentation Schedule |
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| 0945 - 1100 | |||
| 1100 - 1115 | TEA/COFFEE BREAK | ||
| 1115 - 1230 | POSTGRADUATE FORUM Session 2 (Main Auditorium) Sharing Postgraduate Experience Moderator/Session Chair: Prof. Meoli Kashorda, Executive Director, KENET & Prof. of Information Systems, USIU. 1. Effective Communication and Technical Presentation Development Prof. Daniel Orwenjo, Associate Professor, Technical University Of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya 2. Use of Traditional Knowledge for Mining Research Ideas Under IEEE Topics for Postgraduate Research Dr. Peter Odero Akuon, Senior Lecturer, University Of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya 3. Reminiscences on the Ph.D. Journey - Challenges, Hurdles, and Rewards Dr. Njeri Ngaruiya Ng’ang’a, Lecturer, Technical University of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya 4. Generating Impactful Ideas in Research: Lessons from my Ph.D. Journey Dr. Heinrich Laue, Senior Lecturer, University of Pretoria, South Africa 5. Personal Anecdotes on Engineering Postgraduate Student Supervision Prof. Thomas JO Afullo, Emeritus Professor, University Of Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa. 6. Q & A Panel - All of the above facilitators | PAPER PRESENTATIONS (All Tracks = 6 rooms @ 6 papers each) Breakout Rooms at the Djibouti Walk Track Labels are on Each Door  View the Full Paper Presentation Schedule |
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| 1230 - 1330 | |||
| 1330 - 1430 | ROUND TABLE NETWORKING AND FRIENDLY LUNCH | ||
| 1430 - 1500 | Keynote Address (Main Auditorium) Prof. Conrad S. Tucker Interim Director of CMU-Africa and Associate Dean for International Affairs-Africa | PAPER PRESENTATIONS (T1,T2,T3,T6 = 10 papers per room) (T4, T5 = 10 papers in Room 1) (T5 = 2 remaining papers + 8 extra from T6) Breakout Rooms at the Djibouti Walk Track Labels are on Each Door  View the Full Paper Presentation Schedule |
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| 1500 - 1530 | Keynote Address (Main Auditorium) Dr. David Ngigi Senior Science Secretary , National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI), Kenya |
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| 1530 - 1600 | Keynote Address (Main Auditorium) Prof. Dickson Andala Director/CEO, National Research Fund (NRF), Kenya |
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| 1600 - 1630 | Keynote Address (Main Auditorium) Agnes Tsuma Manager Innovation Commercialization, Kenya National Innovation Agency |
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| 1630 - 1700 | Keynote Address (Main Auditorium) Shaun Kaplan IEEE Conferences Committee |
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| 1700 - 1800 | IEEE Computational Intelligence Society (CIS) Awareness Session (Main Auditorium) PANEL 1. The Society and its technical activities 2. IEEE CIS Mentoring Program 3. IEEE CIS Paper Development Workshops, |
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| 1800 - 1830 | Networking BREAK Sponsored by IEEE CIS at the Exhibition Area | ||
| 1830 - 2000 | CULTURAL DINNER at the KSMS Restaurant by the Pool Come dressed in the traditional cultural dress of your community or country |
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| IEEE AFRICON 2023 PROGRAM DAY 3 | |||||
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| Time (EAT)/Day | Friday 22nd September 2023 | ||||
| 0800 - 1115 | 2023 IEEE AFRICON ONSITE REGISTRATION | ||||
| 0900 - 1000 | EXHIBITION To continue throughout the day | TUTORIAL (Room 4) How to Develop a Low-Cost Raspberry Pi- Based Camera Trap with Wildlife Detection Capabilities Tutorial Presenters Gabriel Kiarie Lorna Mugambi Yuri Njathi Prof. Ciira Wa Maina | Women in Engineering &Technology Session 1 (Main Auditorium) Disruptive Technologies and Innovations; A Woman’s Perspective Moderator: Esther Muchiri, CEO E-Mentoring Africa Topic 1: Disruptive Technologies Adopted by the Kenyan Government by Mary Kerema, ICT Authority - Deputy Director, E-Government Topic 2: Disruptive Technologies Transforming the Product Management Space by Lizanne D’Souza, Chief Commercial Officer, Qhala Limited Topic 3: GIS and Spatial Analysis for Sustainable Development by Laura Mugeha, Geospatial Engineer, Girl In Geo Topic 4: Virtual Reality and Immersive Art Experiences by Natasha Khanyola, VR/AR Developer, BlackRhino VR Topic 5: Renewable Energy and Clean Tech Innovations by Brenda Rombo, Founder and CEO, Bee The Engineer Q& A Panel - All Speakers | PAPER PRESENTATIONS (T1,T2,T3,T6 = 6 papers per room)  View the Full Paper Presentation Schedule |
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| 1000 - 1030 | |||||
| 1015 - 1100 | |||||
| 1100 - 1115 | TEA/COFFEE BREAK | ||||
| 1115 - 1200 | TUTORIAL (Room 4) How to develop a Low cost, LoRa based river water level data acquisition system, Leveraging IoT and Machine Learning for Improved Monitoring of Water Resources Tutorial Presenters Jason Kabi, Stephen Githinji, Prof. Ciira Wa Maina | Women in Engineering &Technology Session 2 (Main Auditorium) Engage, Encourage, Empower and Inspire Girl in STEAMM Moderator: Dr. Njeri Ngaruiya Ng’ang’a Topic 1: Unconscious Bias and Stereotypes in STEAMM by Dr Mukami Ruoro, Senior Veterinary, Kenya Wildlife Services" Topic 2: Building Confidence and Resilience by Viola Kirui, Co-founder and Director, Geospatial Research International" Topic 3: Fostering curiosity and creativity in STEAMM Education by Njeri Ndonga (CEO)/Wandia Kimani, UKWENZA VR Topic 4: Addressing the Gender Gap in STEAMM: Reskilling/Upskilling by Dr Edward Ombui, Senior Lecturer, Africa Nazarene Topic 5: Mentorship and Support Networks by Dr Brighton Kithendu, Innovation and Transformation Leader | PAPER PRESENTATIONS (T1, T3, T6 = 6 papers per room) (T1 = 1 remaining + T2= 3 remaining + T3 = 2 papers in Room 1)  View the Full Paper Presentation Schedule |
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| 1200 - 1230 | |||||
| 1230 - 1330 | |||||
| 1230 - 1330 | |||||
| 1330 - 1430 | ROUND TABLE NETWORKING AND FRIENDLY LUNCH | ||||
| 1430 - 1515 | Keynote Address (Main Auditorium) Agnes Tsuma Manager Innovation Commercialization, Kenya National Innovation Agency | IEEE Xplore Usage (Room 4) By IEEE Xplore | PAPER PRESENTATIONS (T6 = 14 papers in 2 rooms) (T3 = 4 papers + T6 = 2 remaining papers in Room 1) (T7 allocated 2 rooms for poster presentations)  View the Full Paper Presentation Schedule | Track 7 POSTER SESSION (Room 1, 2) View the Full Paper Presentation Schedule |
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| 1515 - 1800 | |||||
| 1800 - 1830 | CLOSING CEREMONY (Main Auditorium) Closing Remarks Vincent Egessa, SMIEEE - General Co-Chair, IEEE AFRICON 2023 Passing Over the Torch Eng. John Funso Adebayo - Chair, IEEE Nigeria Section and host IEEE AFRICON 2025 in Abuja, Nigeria Closing Remarks Esther Muchiri - Chair, IEEE Kenya Section Official Closing of IEEE AFRICON 2023 Prof Vincenzo Piuri - Director, IEEE Region 8 |
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