Varaidzo Magodo-Matimba

Speaker Bio

Varaidzo Faith Magodo-Matimba (she/her) is a researcher and lawyer working at the intersection of emerging technology policy, data governance, and human rights. She brings a community-centered, human rights lens to AI systems design and evaluation. Through her role as MERL Tech Initiative's AI in Africa lead, she pioneered the Made in Africa AI approaches to MERL landscape study—a first-of-its-kind resource centering African practitioner contexts, values, and communities in AI development. She chairs the UN Women A.C.T. Fund Civil Society Regional Network for East and Southern Africa and serves as Chairperson of the Board of Directors for Gender Rights in Tech (GRIT)