Brandon T Bande
Tech Community Lead | Speaker | Strategic Manager
Gweru, Zimbabwe
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Since 2020 Brandon has been actively engaging with and speaking to the developer community on tech and non-tech related issues. Having presented to mixed and diverse audiences , Brandon delivers electrifying talks that aim to inspire , inform and engage audiences. His talks has ranged from physical and online workshop sessions to panels and keynotes. Some of the events he has been part of include DevFest Harare (Zimbabwe) , DevFest Kitwe and DevFest Lusaka (Zambia) and , BuildwithAI Bonny Island (Nigeria ), Mozilla Festival Zambia , PyCon Zimbabwe and PyCon Africa (South Africa).
As a community lead and builder , Brandon has contributed to the revitalisation of Google Developer Groups Harare , spreading and mentoring student tech communities through Applied Machine Learning Days Africa , Zindi and he previously served as a Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador and a vice-president for Students for Exploration and Development of Space Midlands State University.
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Using Gemma3:270m to build privacy-preserving local AI tools for low spec machines
Gemma3:270m is Google's smallest LLM yet and it can run on as low as 500 MB of RAM (Google's words not mine).
This beginner session shows how to build local AI agents using Gemma3:270m and Python
We will use Python to build an agent that scraps job requirements from different websites (For the demo I will use a personal API to store the data and retrieve that gives data that has been scrapped) , combines scattered information about me or anyone who would want us to use their documents , customize and personalise cover letters and resumes for each and every job.
The event will wrap up with the design considerations around the demo app and will center around :
1. The need for privacy for personal and organisations and why Gemma3:270m helps address that
2. Prompting techniques to ensure that the output is as desired
3. Use of guard rails and the other nitty gritty details to churn out better output
Easy as A, B, See : Integrating Gemini Pro model to Python for Computer Vision
It used to take years of learning to build computer vision applications but AI makes it simple. In less than 30 minutes I will build a CCTV system that is manned by AI to show how AI makes it easy to build and implement ideas. Using Python and AI Studio I will show how easy it is to utilize Gemini and share a few tips on building using Gemini.
Intentional Design for Low-Resource, Privacy-First Systems: How a 3 MB Payload Became 60 KB
What if building for constraints isn't about making a weaker system, but designing a better one?
In this talk, I share lessons from a personal project where a 3 MB payload was reduced to just 60 KB by rethinking how the problem was represented and where computation should happen.
Rather than relying on heavier models, larger servers, or sending raw visual data to the cloud, the project explores MediaPipe, WebAssembly (WASM), and on-device processing to build a system that is smaller, faster, more private, and better suited to environments with limited resources.
The talk uses this experience to explore a broader approach to engineering: design intentionally around the constraints of your users, devices, data, and environment. The key decisions made were around what information really needed to be kept/discarded , how much data we needed to transmit and how we could reduce user waiting time.
The goal isn't simply to make ML smaller. It's to ask a better question: What is the minimum system we can design that still solves the problem well?
DevFest Lusaka Upcoming
The lessons shared are from a proof-of-concept built using antigravity. This talk will only demo how it works but will not go through the creating process.
The talk builds on the lessons learnt and key decisions made during the process of building the first version of Vision-SL - a platform for learning and teaching sign language. The major key decision was based on the context of the problem , available tools and the desired end state.
Key points to include :
What edge computing is.
Why our situation required us to adopt that approach. (Key Decisions )
How Mediapipe solved 90% of our concerns
What is happening with the other 10%
Key lessons in product design from the experience
The talk will merge the experience of a Business Analyst and a Developer Advocate who has been in the tech space for 5 years.
PyCon South Africa
Abstract
Let's break down how your favorite AI works and then build our own AI system that works for us.
I had a painful task , converting 8000 job vacancies into a dataset. I could not afford to use online APIs and manual entry promised to be tedious so I pulled the developer move. Writing a script for that. The talk sheds light on how to integrate LLMs into existing systems and making them work for you. This talk will start with a simple function executing a web scrapping task and feeding a web page into the LLM to single out the needed data. Then using Qwen 2.5 and ollama we will then move to get user input to call a tool which gives us a data entry for our dataset.
Whilst the task will be an anchor point , the key take away will be the architecture and approach behind and the the few key things to consider when doing the integrations. To top that at each stage , I will highlight the importance of creating closed-system AI integrations , share some approaches I used and pitfalls encountered in the process. At the end of the session , I hope to leave the audience with an understanding of how easy it is to use Python for them to create their 'own' AI , with unlimited tokens and how to ensure there is fewer hallucinations.
PyCon Namibia
Workshop om designing delivery methods for AI solutions that focuses on combining Gemini API and Twillio for WhatsApp access.
AI Literacy Gweru Sessions
Understanding AI Beyond the Hype
Session 1 of a 6-Part Learning Series with American Space Gweru
Artificial Intelligence is everywhere—but what does it actually mean for everyday people?
Understanding AI Beyond the Hype is the first session in a six-part series hosted in collaboration with American Space Gweru, designed to help participants truly understand AI and use it confidently in their daily lives. This opening session cuts through the buzzwords and headlines to focus on what AI really is, how it works at a basic level, and why it matters to you.
In this session, we’ll explore the foundational building blocks of AI that are most relevant to everyday users—no technical background required. Participants will gain a practical understanding of concepts such as data, algorithms, machine learning, and common AI tools, while learning how these elements show up in the apps, platforms, and services they already use.
Whether you’re curious, cautious, or excited about AI, this session will help you build a solid mental model that prepares you for the rest of the series—and for an AI-driven world.
Building a Successful Career in Data & AI
Building a Successful Career in Data & AI was a practical and inspiring session for students and young professionals who want to break into the world of data science and artificial intelligence. Learn from top Zimbabwean AI practitioners as they share real career journeys, essential skills, and proven strategies for starting strong in this fast-growing field. Whether you're a beginner or exploring your next step, this event will equip you with clarity, direction, and opportunities to grow.
DevFest Mbarara 2025 Sessionize Event
Google Developer Groups Harare DevFest 2025 Sessionize Event
PyCon Africa
Vibe coding is okay when you are building for yourself. How about when a customer reaches out to you to build something for them? This is not often talked about when people talk about using generative AI for development. In this talk I will share on how I use the Google provided tools for MOST of my Generative AI assisted product development. Using brand identity and my own requirements gathering , I am able to use Gemini 2.5 for documentation , requirements analysis , the Stich for editable UI designs , AI Studio for prototyping and Cursor and Google's Jules for product building ( I could use Firebase Studio but as of now I cannot handle certain aspects with it). This talk will showcase my process and share a few oops moments that helped me finetune my process. I will wrap up with the common things to avoid before deployment for solutions that I have built for mobile and web - which includes obvious pointers to AI usage which might devalue my work.
This talk will be ideal for enthusiasts to mid level developers , resonate with senior developers and vibe coders , whilst its tone will help create room for discussions during tea breaks. In the same talk , I will share on how AI has helped me overcome impostor syndrome too by enabling me to build using the knowledge that I have whilst teaching me the need to understanding the basics to reduce technical debt associated with vibe coding.
BuildwithAI Bonny Island
Presented a virual technical talk on 'Retrieval Augmentation Generation and contextualising responses for personalised use in Gemini' for GDG Bonny Island.
Beyond the Classroom: Unlocking Career Potential
Delivered a career guidance in tech talk to GDGoC University as a guest speaker
Tech Tomorrow: Innovations Shaping the Future
7:05 PM - 7:25 PM: Keynote Speech 1
Topic: The Future of Artificial Intelligence: How It Will Transform Every Industry
Speaker: Brandon Bande
Discover how AI is revolutionizing industries by streamlining processes, enhancing customer experiences, and transforming human-machine collaboration.
Devfest Lusaka 2024 Sessionize Event
11th International Conference on Communication and Information Science
Research Paper Presentor
Deep Learning Indabax Zimbabwe
Panel Speaker on AI Governance and Ethics
Women Tech Makers (WTM) Onitsha Virtual Bootcamp Sessionize Event
DevFest Zambia 2023 Sessionize Event
DevFest Zimbabwe 2023 Sessionize Event
DevFest Zimbabwe 2022 Sessionize Event
Brandon T Bande
Tech Community Lead | Speaker | Strategic Manager
Gweru, Zimbabwe
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