How Ishango.ai empowered 400 African Data scientists
In 2022, Ishango.ai partnered with Dataquest to offer scholarships to 400 aspiring data scientists in Africa. Through the scheme, scholarship recipients from across Africa received free access to data science courses on the Dataquest platform aimed at preparing them for a career in the data industry.
The scholarship programme had a significant impact on supporting the growth of data science talent in Africa. With 100 of these scholarships specifically earmarked for African female data scientists, this initiative also played an essential role in breaking down gender barriers and promoting diversity and inclusion in the field.
The overwhelming response, with over 3000 applications from individuals across the continent, demonstrated a huge untapped talent pool of young people who are brimming with ambition and want to develop their skills in the data science field. By providing these scholarships, Ishango.ai and Dataquest gave young, talented individuals the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in the field and contribute to the development of their communities.
The impact of this partnership is already being felt, with many of the beneficiaries of the scholarship program going on to make significant strides in developing their skills and pursuing their data science career ambitions. One beneficiary of the scholarship programme, Daphne Machangara from Zimbabwe, shared her experience:
“The Dataquest- Ishango.ai scholarship has helped me gain confidence and an understanding of various useful tools. I’ve also learnt to be patient and to persevere, even when numerous errors pop up in my work! In terms of professional goals, I am making use of the acquired skills in other projects that I am working on. My plans for the future include continuing to grow my skills and applying data science in real-world contexts while solving existing problems in organisations.”
Another beneficiary, Godfred Zaachi from Ghana, also shared:
“The Dataquest Analyst programme has been a fantastic experience for me. The data cleaning course was my biggest highlight, as it gave me a fundamental understanding of the data analysis process. Through the programme, I have improved my skills in R programming, including reading and interpreting codes. The programme has also connected me to tools and resources that have increased my visibility as a data professional. I now feel more confident about my prospects in the field of data science.”
Through partnerships such as this, we at Ishango.ai are continuing to pursue our mission to put African data science talent on the global map and create data jobs in the region. We cannot wait to see the amazing achievements and work that our scholarship recipients go on to achieve.
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