Dr. Ogochukwu Monye will lead a groundbreaking study on the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the rights of gig workers in Africa. Her research aims to develop a comprehensive legal and ethical framework that safeguards freelancers, especially those in sectors such as ride-hailing, delivery services, and online freelancing. Dr. Monye’s work will advocate for fair treatment, ethical AI standards, and enhanced regulatory oversight, ensuring that gig workers enjoy sustainable working conditions and data privacy. Additionally, her research will explore AI development tailored to Africa’s unique context, emphasizing the importance of local innovation to prevent the imposition of ill-suited AI technologies and rules.
Dr. Onyema Otitodiriwill focus his research on the impact of the regulation of innovation in foreign investment in developing countries. Specifically, his research will investigate how governmental regulations, particularly those anchored in the police powers doctrine, impact innovation and foreign investment. Dr. Otitodiri will analyze whether these actions catalyze or constrain innovation and how they affect the broader landscape of foreign investment, especially in developing countries. His work will also explore the long-term implications of these regulatory strategies for the African continent and beyond.
These two new postdocs join Dr. Dennis Agelebe, who joined Open AIR as a postdoc last September, and whose research explores the legal and regulatory frameworks shaping the green energy transition and digital innovation in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Under the supervision of Professors Chidi Oguamanam and Jeremy de Beer – co-directors of Open AIR – all three post-doctoral fellows will collectively explore the broad theme of regulation for innovation. Their research will examine knowledge governance regimes that impact the regulation of innovation in three distinct sectors in Africa: gig work, green energy and foreign investment. By focusing on the intersections of law, technology, and innovation, their work will propose solutions to power imbalances and influence regulatory instruments. The postdocs will explore the practical impacts of different aspects of regulation for innovation, with the aim of strengthening the African continental and global knowledge governance systems, as well as the global systems of legal rules, economic policies, and socio-cultural norms that regulate innovation in the 21st-century knowledge economy.
“These new post-doctoral fellows will further enhance the vibrancy of Open AIR’s hub at the Centre for Law, Technology, and Society,” says Professor de Beer. “We're excited by the linkages amongst their research and the many strengths of uOttawa, including technology law and international law.”
These new postdoctoral appointments reflect the ongoing commitment of Open AIR, CLTS, and the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law, to fostering world-class research that addresses critical global challenges. Their appointments are made possible through the support of the Queen Elizabeth Scholars – Advanced Scholars West Africa (QES -AS- WA) program, with additional funding from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), and theNew Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF).