Discover the story behind Africa's premier AI conference, bringing together visionaries, innovators, and change-makers from around the world.
The story of how a single idea became a global movement for democratizing AI innovation
Right. Let's talk about October 30, 1974. Kinshasa. The night Muhammad Ali taught the world that giants fall when you think differently. That lesson? It's never been more relevant than now.
Look, artificial intelligence is reshaping civilisation faster than most people can comprehend. Yet here we are, watching the same handful of companies in the same predictable cities determining humanity's algorithmic future. It's frankly absurd. GAIME exists to shatter this monopoly—though 'shatter' might be too aggressive. We prefer to think of it as creating so many centres of excellence that the whole concept of 'centre' becomes wonderfully obsolete.
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GAIME in motion — building a global movement
Real impact, measurable progress
Born from African innovation, built for global revolution - the story of CERFODES and GAIME's foundation
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Where innovation meets real-world impact
CERFODES. Twenty years in the trenches of African digital transformation. Not the sexy kind you read about in TechCrunch, mind you. The real work. Hydroelectric projects that actually power data centres. Educational programmes producing engineers who go toe-to-toe with MIT graduates (and often win). Policy work that... well, policy work is never glamorous, but it's what enables everything else.
Here's what CERFODES understood that others missed: Kampala's tech scene isn't trying to become the next Silicon Valley. Lagos doesn't want to be London. Nairobi couldn't care less about copying Singapore. These cities are creating something entirely different. Something that works when the electricity cuts out twice a day. Something that scales when your users pay in mobile money, not credit cards. Something... actually useful.
When they conceived GAIME, it wasn't in some sterile boardroom. It was watching a twenty-two-year-old in Kampala build a diagnostic AI that works on a $50 smartphone. Watching her explain it to a venture capitalist who couldn't quite grasp why anyone would need that. That disconnect? That's what GAIME fixes.
The Global Artificial Intelligence Innovation Movement and Evolution. Yes, it's a mouthful. We've heard all the jokes. But it means something. This isn't just another conference circuit where the same speakers give the same talks to the same audience who've heard it all before. This is different. Has to be.
Two decades of transformative change
The annual gathering where the world converges to shape the future of AI
Every October, something remarkable happens. The first year in Kampala, we're expecting thousands. By year five? Who knows. Could be 20,000. Could be 50,000. (The Kampala Sheraton's events manager nearly fainted when we mentioned this. We bought him a drink.)
The beautiful chaos of it: we don't even know where year two will happen. Literally. Day Two of each conference, we draw the next host city. Proper draw, from a proper box, with every eligible city in there. No backroom deals. No lobbying. Just pure, democratic chance. Cities are already preparing bids—sorry, not bids, *readiness demonstrations*—to prove they can handle whatever number shows up.
Imagine it. The envelope opens. "Mumbai." Or "São Paulo." Or "Detroit." (Yes, Detroit submitted their readiness docs. Don't look surprised.) The entire room erupts. Within minutes, #GAIME2026 trends globally. Hotels in the chosen city watch their booking systems crash. It's brilliant madness, and we haven't even done it once yet.
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A convergence of ideas, people, and purpose
From Kampala to the world
The conference is just the heartbeat. The real circulatory system runs year-round.
The conference is just the heartbeat. The real circulatory system runs year-round.
Year-round connections and collaborations
Continuous learning and skill development
Supporting talent and removing barriers
A growing network of changemakers connecting across borders and disciplines
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A growing network of changemakers
The GAIME Network started as a LinkedIn alternative for AI folks. Then we realised LinkedIn is where excitement goes to die. So we built something else entirely. Intelligence Matching sounds fancy, but it's simple: the platform figures out who needs to meet whom. That researcher in Bangladesh working on flood prediction? Meet this satellite startup in Brazil and this climate fund in Norway. Connections that would never, ever happen naturally.
Progress Tracking—because we're tired of "networking" that leads nowhere. Every collaboration gets documented. Not in a creepy surveillance way, but in a "look what we built together" way. Members genuinely celebrate each other's wins. It's... surprisingly wholesome?
The platform's built to handle millions. Our CTO insists it can scale to 50 million without breaking a sweat. (We think he's showing off, but we admire the confidence.)
Building connections that matter
The GAIME Foundation ensures money never stops talent from participating. Simple as that. Scholarships scale with attendance. If 100,000 people want to come, we'll find a way to support those who can't afford it. How? Conference profits, obviously. But also some rather creative partnerships we're not quite ready to announce.
The GAIME Academy delivers education that actually educates. Revolutionary concept, we know. Virtual workshops where you build things, not just watch slides. Regional gatherings that feel local but think global. The peer-to-peer learning programme that's basically engineered serendipity.
Researchers who are tired of papers that twelve people read. They want impact. Real, measurable, "this saved lives" impact.
Leaders navigating AI transformation whilst pretending they understand it completely. (Spoiler: Nobody understands it completely. That's rather the point.)
Startups who need customers more than they need another accelerator programme. Though we have that too, if they want it.
Citizens who deserve to understand the technology reshaping their lives. No computer science degree required. Barely any maths, promise.
Industry Innovators seeking competitive advantage but finding collaboration more interesting than competition.
Rising Stars who shouldn't have to wait until they're 45 to be taken seriously.
Regional Champions proving that innovation isn't geographically determined. Never was, never will be.
Here's the thing: everyone becomes a permanent member. Not in a culty way. More like... you know how some conferences you attend and forget within a week? This isn't that. This sticks. The connections persist. The energy continues. The weird inside jokes from Kampala will still make sense in Mumbai.
Conservative estimate: 500,000 network members, 100,000 jobs created through GAIME connections, $10 billion flowing into emerging market AI ventures. Conference attendance could hit 50,000. Several cities are already planning infrastructure specifically for this possibility. (Lagos is building a entire new conference district. They claim it's not just for GAIME. We're flattered anyway.)
GAIME becomes the global standard. Not officially—we're not that organised—but culturally. When people think inclusive AI development, they think GAIME. Network membership passes 5 million. The conference... honestly, it might be multiple simultaneous events by then, connected digitally. We're making this up as we go, but in a thoughtful way.
Every community contributes AI innovations. Every culture enriches the field. It sounds utopian, and maybe it is, but someone has to aim for it. Might as well be us.
Abundance Mentality: Success isn't pie. Share your slice and somehow everyone gets more pie. It's economically irrational and absolutely true.
Underdog Solidarity: That sixteen-year-old coding in a refugee camp? She gets the same respect as the Stanford professor. Actually, possibly more. Stanford professors already get plenty of respect.
Impact Obligation: Build something useful or go home. Papers are lovely. Products that help people are lovelier.
Teaching Duty: If you know something, teach it. If you don't know something, learn it. Then teach it. The cycle continues until everyone knows everything. (This will take a while.)
Global Perspective: Your solution to Lagos traffic might fix Los Angeles congestion. Share it. See what happens.
Scalable Excellence: Most things get worse as they grow. We're determined to get better. More voices, more perspectives, more breakthroughs. Organised chaos is still organised.
GAIME isn't something you attend once a year, tick the box, update your LinkedIn. (Though you can do that too, if you like. We don't judge.)
GAIME is joining a conversation that actually matters. Building something that lasts. Creating the future where your kids—wherever they're born, whatever their surname, however their minds work—can shape AI rather than be shaped by it.
October 30, 2025. Kampala. We start with thousands. We grow to... whatever we grow to. The giants of AI will continue their important work in their temperature-controlled offices, and good for them. Someone has to do it. Meanwhile, we're building infinite corridors where infinite innovations emerge from infinite innovators. We're not defeating giants. We're making the whole concept delightfully irrelevant.
The revolution needs your voice. Even if it's hesitant. Especially if it's different. The movement grows stronger with every perspective. The future—and this is the bit that keeps us up at night, in the best way—the future genuinely depends on participation from people who've never participated before.
Welcome to GAIME. Welcome to your moment. Welcome to the controlled chaos we're calling home.
GAIME: Where Underdogs Become Champions. Where Innovation Has No Fixed Address. Where the Future Belongs to Everyone.
A CERFODES Initiative. Twenty Years of Engineering Solutions. Now Engineering Revolutions.
Uganda's selection as our inaugural host represents Africa's emergence as an AI powerhouse. With a digital economy growing at 20% annually, a population where 78% are under 30, and groundbreaking AI applications in healthcare, agriculture, and finance, Kampala embodies the future we're building—one where AI serves all of humanity, not just the few.
