Public CV
Francis Saa-Dittoh
Computer Scientist · ICT4D Researcher · Lecturer
University for Development Studies · Tamale, Ghana · fdittoh@uds.edu.gh
Profile
Computer Scientist and ICT4D researcher combining participatory research, teaching and software development to create information systems suited to community knowledge, communication practices and resource-constrained environments.
Education
- 2026
PhD, Computer Science
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Dissertation: From Radio to AI: African Community-driven Development of Sustainable Information Systems.
- 2013
MSc, Computer Science
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Internet and Web Technologies.
- 2006
BSc, Computer Science
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
Selected appointments & service
- 2025–present
Chair, Research and Policy Advocacy, Internet Society Ghana Chapter
- 2024–present
Adjunct Lecturer, University of Turin, MSc ICT for Development and Social Good
- 2024–present
EURIDICE General Assembly member
- 2021–present
Lecturer, Department of Computer Science, University for Development Studies
- 2018–2024
Guest Lecturer, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
- 2023–2025
Chair, Technical and Projects, Internet Society Ghana Chapter
- 2020–2021
ICT Associate, UNOPS CLME+ Project
- 2014–2020
UDS Webmaster
- 2009–2014
Senior ICT Assistant, UDS
- 2007–2009
ICT Coordinator, UDS/Maastricht University Problem-Based Learning project
Teaching
ICT for Development; Human-Computer Interaction; Data Science; programming and software development; Parallel and Distributed Computing; Computer Security.
Selected publications
- 2026
From Radio to AI: African Community-driven Development of Sustainable Information Systems
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
- 2026
TiBaLLi: Internet Inclusion Through Artificial Intelligence
Digital Humanism, LNCS 16319, pp. 83–93
- 2025
Rural Development and the ICT4D Plug-In Principle for Information and Communication Technologies
The Plug-In Principle: Integrating Indigenous and Scientific Knowledge for Sustainable Food Systems in Africa
- 2024
Bridging the Digital Divide
Introduction to Digital Humanism: A Textbook, pp. 283–298
- 2024
Recordings of spoken Dagbani for the letters zero to ten and the words yes and no
Zenodo
Selected recognition
- Internet Society Foundation research grant supporting TIBaLLi, awarded 2022.
- Heidelberg Laureate Forum Spotlight Researcher, 2023.
- RadioNet, third place worldwide in the Internet Society Chapterthon, 2019.
Technical practice
Research software, web platforms, data systems, AI-assisted education tools, digital publishing, voice interfaces and low-resource information services. Capabilities are applied according to project context rather than represented as percentage ratings.