Championing Open-Source Technology and Data Equity: Insights from Angela Lungati’s Journey
On Thursday, December 12, All Tech Is Human (ATIH) hosted its third livestream in celebration of Mozilla’s 2025 Rise25 honorees. Led by ATIH UNet Project Lead, Nicole Cuneo, the conversation featured honoree Dr. Angela Odour Lungati, a seasoned technologist, community builder and advocate of open-source software. Angela is the Executive Director of Ushahidi, “a global not-for-profit technology organization that develops integrated tools and services to enable people to generate solutions and mobilize communities for good.” From her work with Ushahidi to her role on the Global Futures Council at the World Economic Forum, Angela’s insights illuminated a path toward more equitable, community-centered innovation.
Angela shared inspiring insights about the power of open-source technologies. The discussion began on open-source tooling as a beacon for collaboration, inclusivity, and innovation. By definition, open-source technology is built collectively and freely available to everyone, making it a powerful tool for creating adaptable solutions tailored to diverse, nuanced contexts. The accessibility it offers also breaks down barriers, enabling more people to engage with and benefit from technological advancements. Highlighting case studies from Ushahidi’s impactful work, she recounted its use in providing aid during the pandemic, demonstrating how open-source tools can address pressing global challenges.
On data equity, Angela emphasized the importance of ensuring data equity spans the entire lifecycle of data from collection to curation, processing, retention, analysis, and application. She underscored the need for both corrective and proactive measures to address systemic inequities, ensuring that marginalized voices are centered and protected:
Data equity [is] a responsibility for fair data practices that respect human rights, opportunity, and dignity. We recognize it is going to require strategic, inclusive, and very proactive collective action to create a world where systems based on data can promote fair, just, and beneficial outcomes for everyone.
Speaking to the emerging leaders watching the livestream, including those present from Mozilla’s Responsible Computing Challenge, Angela shared the following advice:
Ensure your contributions reflect diverse voices and expose systemic gaps.
Stay curious and open-minded. Enter discussions ready to challenge assumptions and grow.
Seek mentorship and pay it forward. Angela credits peer and professional mentorship for her growth.
Tackle imposter syndrome. Confidence-building requires intentional effort, including reading, asking questions, and seeking coaching that can help you stay on track with your goals.
Angela’s professional journey was not without challenges, including high computing costs that impede nonprofit access to LLMs, and a general lack of service localization in Africa. She called for lowering these barriers, mentioning the opportunity of alternative LLMs, and emphasized her commitment to partnering with community-based African organizations to ensure tech solutions on the continent are contextualized, trusted, and truly impactful.
On striking the balance between technology and ethics, Angela challenged the notion that ethics and safety initiatives stifle progress, insisting instead that centering technology on its intended positive impact enhances innovation. She asks the pivotal question: Who is the technology in service of, and what is its target?
Angela’s story is a testament to the power of community-centric innovation. Her final reflections included the advice of not going at this work alone, as collaboration accelerates progress and amplifies impact. Listen to the full livestream on our YouTube channel, and learn more about Mozilla’s 2024 Rise25 honorees below.
Don’t miss our next livestream this Thursday, December 19 at 1:00pm ET with Mozilla Rise25 honoree Dr. Desmond Patton, in conversation with All Tech Is Human affiliate, Lama Mohammed, on AI and marginalized communities.