Tech4her Africa begins DataDiva to empower 5,000 female undergraduates with data science skills

Guardian NG Apr 19, 2024

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Tech4her Africa

Tech4her Africa on Thursday launched its DataDiva Project, an ambitious initiative aimed at equipping 5,000 female university students across Lagos and three other Southwest states in Nigeria with essential data science skills by 2026.

The DataDiva project is an independent program organised to support the annual Women in Data Science (WiDS) Datathon held at Stanford University, United States, a global predictive analytics challenge hosted on the Kaggle platform.

The project also includes a hackathon where participants can compete for prizes at the datathon, and it is flagging off with the University of Lagos (UNILAG) edition, which is a hybrid event, with physical sessions holding on April 18 and 19 at NITDAs hub (NitHUB), UNILAG, and May 23 and 24 at Julius Berger Hall, Faculty of Engineering, UNILAG. The Hackathons virtual submissions to Stanfords WiDS will be on June 1.

During the four-day workshops, participants will learn Python, Pandas, and Matplotlib, core tools for coding and data analysis, gain an introduction to SQL and databases, apply machine learning techniques like regression and random forests, create compelling data visualisations to tell stories, learn how to create experiments and data app dashboards with Plotly, Power BI, Jupyter Notebook, and Streamlit, and work in teams to take on a full datathon project, with mentoring sessions from leading female experts in data science and artificial intelligence (AI).

Tech4her Africa, an impact driven organization, is a social enterprise that aims to expand economic opportunities for women and girls in Africa by enabling them in Science, Technology, Engineering, Entrepreneurship, Mathematics leveraging ICT. The WiDS Datathon is a social impact challenge aiming to inspire women worldwide to learn more about data science, and to create a supportive environment for women to connect with others in their community who share their interests.

Speaking on the initiative, WiDS Ambassador for Lagos and founder of Tech4her Africa, Mrs. Elizabeth Olorunleke-Edwards, said data scientists of all levels are invited to participate in the datathon, including beginners.

“By 2026, we aim to mentor 5,000 professionals poised to take up leading data-related roles in the workplace and serve as inspiration to other women in their communities,” she said.

This year’s WiDS Datathon 2024 theme is “Equity in Healthcare.” Gilead Sciences, the sponsor, has provided a rich, real-world oncology dataset containing information about demographics, diagnosis, treatment options, and insurance coverage for women patients diagnosed with breast cancer. Participants will analyse the dataset to identify potential inequities in patient care, such as treatment duration.

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