Analytics
A Blueprint for Enhanced Customer Experience in Financial Institutions.
From the left: Dr. John Olukuru, Head of Data Science and Analytics at @iLabAfrica; Satyajit Turumella, IT Advisory Director at Grant Thornton Advisory East Africa; Ezekiel Macharia, CEO at Kenbright Holdings; and Hartnell Ndungi, Chief Data Officer at Absa Bank Kenya, during the GDSAI summit at Strathmore University, Nairobi.
How can financial institutions ensure inclusivity, digital transformation, and analytics in their operations for an enhanced customer experience?
This was the first topic of the first panel discussion at the 2nd annual Global Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (GDSAI) summit hosted by @iLabAfrica-Strathmore University last year
The panel, featured Hartnell Ndungi, Chief Data Officer at Absa Bank Kenya; Ezekiel Macharia, CEO at Kenbright Holdings; and Satyajit Turumella, IT Advisory Director at Grant Thornton Advisory East Africa, explored the transformative impact of digital technologies on financial services.
Digital transformation is revolutionizing the landscape of financial services, reshaping customer acquisition, improving client satisfaction, and simplifying banking procedures.
In the pre-revolution era, customers heavily depended on face-to-face interactions with bank staff, making processes such as opening accounts, conducting transactions, and accessing financial services time-consuming and paperwork-intensive.
The ongoing change is evident in more efficient banking procedures, achieved through the simplification of traditional processes through automation and digital interfaces. The significant move towards online and mobile platforms is an important factor in boosting accessibility, consequently contributing to an enhanced overall customer experience.
Mr. Macharia highlighted the importance of effective data storage and aggregation to ensure inclusivity in financial institutions, stating, “We ensure inclusivity, digital transformation, and analytics by looking for effective ways to store your data and finding ways we can aggregate data in a way that communicates to everyone.” This shows the significance of accessible and comprehensible data.
Digital transformation is not just a choice but a necessity for the financial sector, driven by escalating customer demands, complex regulatory environments, and intense competition within the sector.
In a 2022 report by McKinsey and Company, it was revealed that digital transformation in Africa constituted only 25 to 30 percent, a figure notably lower than the global average of 50 percent observed in markets such as America and Asia.
Within Kenya, the Equity Group has emerged as a pioneer in digital transformation, offering a comprehensive array of digital products that leverage technology to address the increasing need for convenient, accessible, and affordable banking services.
Mr. Ndungi elaborated on the practical applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI), emphasizing its role in enhancing customer interactions by collecting and analyzing feedback, predicting customer behavior through scorecards, enabling organizations to cater to their needs effectively, suggesting suitable products to customers, and offering personalized experiences. The integration of AI is positioned as a strategic move to cater effectively to customer needs.
Although a lot of the financial sectors are trying to incorporate digital transformation, it comes with a concern, and that is how customer data needs to be protected. The protection of data is an important concern for organizations and businesses. With the increasing reliance on technology for storing and transmitting sensitive information, the threat of data breaches has become a major issue.
Satyajit Turumella addressed these concerns by presenting key considerations when managing and protecting data:
- Do you understand what your personal data is?
- Do you trust AI with your data?
- Do you trust the governance of the organization to which you consented to manage your data?
The insights from the panel discussion shed light on a path forward for financial institutions. The commitment to inclusivity and digital transformation emerges as a cornerstone in delivering an exceptional customer experience, shaping the trajectory of the financial industry in the years to come.
By Wachira Kevin.
@iLabAfrica unveils the 2nd Global Data Science and AI Summit.
Data science and AI enthusiasts during the 2nd Global Data Science and AI Summit at Strathmore University, Nairobi.
@iLabAfrica launched the 2nd Global Data Science and AI Summit (GDSAI) at Strathmore University on November 9, showcasing Kenya’s advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) implementation.
The summit was graced by distinguished guests, including: H.E. Dr. William Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya; Mene Wamkele, Secretary General at African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA); and Dr. Joseph Sevilla, Director of @iLabAfrica. Many prominent figures from various industries also attended the summit, which marked a significant milestone in Kenya’s journey towards embracing and advancing AI.
Under the theme dubbed ‘Unlocking the Power of Big Data and AI, the summit provided valuable insights into data science and AI for individuals and organizations alike.
During a precursor pre-launch of the GDSAI summit on November 7, H.E. Dr. William Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya, said, “I welcome all of you to put forward your best ideas, perspectives, and insights in making sure that we utilize AI in the trade sector, not just for Kenya but for our continent and the world at large.”
In his opening remarks, Dr. Joseph Sevilla, Director of @iLabAfrica, expressed his enthusiasm for hosting the 2023 GDSAI Summit, focusing on emerging technology. He highlighted the collaborative efforts between local initiatives and global tech giants like Google, Amazon, and Apple, emphasizing the potential for positive change and technological advancements that benefit Kenya and the world at large.
“The 2nd GDSAI Summit has brought together over 150 key industry stakeholders from diverse sectors to demonstrate the transformative power of data science and AI in revolutionizing lives,” Dr. John Olukuru, Head of Data Science and Analytics at @iLabAfrica.
The summit’s first panel discussion, ‘Inclusivity, Digital Transformation, and Analytics in Financial Institutions,’ featured: Ezekiel Macharia, Managing Director and Chief Actuary at Kenbright; Hartnell Ndungi, Chief Data Officer at Absa Kenya; and Satyajit Turumella, IT Advisory Director at Grant Thornton Advisory East Africa.
During the discussion, Mr Macharia emphasized the importance of actively seeking efficient methods for data storage and exploring approaches to aggregate data. This, he stated, would facilitate communication for everyone, contribute to fostering inclusivity, drive digital transformation, and enhance analytics within financial institutions.
Mr Ndungi explored the diverse applications of AI in various business sectors, highlighting its versatility and potential in practical use cases.
- identifying potential customers and recommending suitable products, which not only boosts sales but also enhances customer satisfaction by adjusting products to individual preferences.
- collecting and analyzing feedback, hence enhancing customer interactions.
- creating scorecards that help in understanding and predicting customer behavior, allowing organizations to anticipate the needs of their customers more effectively.
Some of the other topics discussed during the panel discussions included:
- Use of Data to Improve Health Services and Analysis, and AI in Health. This panel featured: Samuel Oti, Senior Program Specialist at International Development Research Centre (IDRC); Dr. Ngure Nganga, Founder at Savannah Health Informatics and Dep. Sec. – Gen Kenya Health Informatics Information; Dr. Vinita Saini, CEO at Saadani Healthcare; and Jonathan Friedman, Director Data Science at Palladium.
- How AI and big data are driving forward the climate change agenda, emphasizing the pivotal role of data science and AI in forging a sustainable and resilient future. This panel featured: Dr. Angela Ndaka, Executive Director and Co-Founder at CAE Justice; Dr. Samuel Chege, Senior Research Scientist and Manager at Microsoft Africa Research Institute; Zeph Kivungi, Senior Associate at Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet; and Brian Nyangema, Managing Partner at Bayes Consulting.
- Adopting modern technologies such as precision agriculture, IoT devices, and AI driven analytics to optimize resource use, increase yields, and enhance farm efficiency. The panel featured: Chris Orwa, Head of Data Science at Brave Venture Labs; Alex Karanja, Head of Digital Transformation at Naivas Supermarket; and Sajni Malde, Data Scientist at World Data Labs.
- AI for development- use of data to improve development. This panel featured: Mariam Ibrahim, Senior Manager at Development Initiatives; Odanga Madung, Senior Researcher for Elections and Platform Integrity at Mozilla Foundation; Philomena Mbura, Data Scientist and WID Lead; and Rositsa Zaimova, co-founder at Dalberg Data Insights.
Notably, Kenya actively applies AI across agriculture, health, education, fintech, and transport, strategically positioning itself to harness Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies like AI.
Mene Wamkele, Secretary General at African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA), said, “As the world is becoming more African, we need to move aggressively to integrate the market and the continent by creating opportunities for young Africans.”
According to a recent global survey, Kenya has been ranked fifth in Africa in terms of government preparedness to implement AI for public service delivery. The 2022 Government AI Readiness Index, published by Oxford Insights, assigns Kenya an overall score of 40.36 percent, positioning it behind Egypt, South Africa, Tunisia, and Morocco. Globally, Kenya is ranked 90th as nations brace for the expected disruptions from this emerging technology.
The summit attracted over 150 professionals, CEOs, and other senior managers, a representation of over 20 countries across the world, and offered networking with our various sponsors, speakers, and partners.
The 2nd GDSAI Summit serves as a testament to Kenya’s commitment to technological advancement and global collaboration in the ever-evolving landscape of data science and artificial intelligence. As the nation strives to unlock the power of big data and AI, these initiatives pave the way for a brighter and technologically empowered future.
By Wachira Kevin
Cisco IoT Fundamentals and Beyond
Cisco IoT Fundamentals and Beyond Program
Introduction
The 2020 training of Cisco Internet of Things (IoT) Fundamentals is going BEYOND! This course has been tailored to fit current existing situations around us cutting across the different verticals ranging from agriculture to energy, environment to manufacturing, homes and warehouses to transportation among others.
The 2020 curriculum will cover the theoretical aspects of IoT (Introduction to IoT, Connecting Things, Big Data and Analytics and Security) and the hands-on lab activities that exposes you to electronics, programming (an introduction to C and Python), networks, Data and Security. Additionally, the course will cover Packet Tracer (PT) simulations for IoT and will feature a guest Engineer from Cisco.
The goal of the course is to expose students to IoT technologies and sharpen their problem-solving skills through a practical approach that can ideate, design, prototype and present IoT solution for an identified problem.
Course Overview
- Overview of Internet of Things (IoT) – Machine-Type Communications (MTC), the IoT Architecture and surrounding concepts, IoT Applications and the IoT Building Blocks.
- Introduction to Microcontrollers and Hardware Programming: AVR, ARM and STM32 Microcontrollers, Programming using the Arduino/Visual Studio Code, Atmel platform and STM32 Cube platforms. The hardware programming languages to be covered: Arduino, C and C++.
- Introduction to System on Chip (SoC) and Programming- Concepts of RISCs and Embedded OS, Interfaces, GPIO Pins, Connecting sensors and Introduction to Python. Introduction to Raspberry Pis and Beaglebone Blacks (BBB).
- Communication technologies (Wi-Fi, BLE, GPRS/GSM, LPWANs), Protocols and Working with open-source Cloud Platforms for IoT. A telecommunications Lab demonstration using Software Defined Radios (SDRs) will also be provided.
- Introduction to Cisco Prototyping Lab and Packet Tracer IoT simulation environment.
- Implementation of simple IoT applications, data visualisation and IoT Security.
Value addition to participants
- Hands-on experience through practical sessions.
- Take away IoT Kit (Raspberry Pi, Connectors and sensors)
- Cisco IoT Certification.
Venue
Classes will be delivered both online and @iLabAfrica Research Centre, Strathmore University while adhering to the social distancing rules laid out by the government. It is recommended that all the students attend the theoretical and software classes online.
Program prerequisite
- Basic knowledge of electronics.
- Knowledge in programming and networking will be an added advantage.
- A laptop running any operating system that is friendly to the student.
Program Format
The program combines interactive lectures, discussions and intense hands-on practice. It includes online guided classes and physical classes in a computer laboratory with a workstation (with required software tools installed) provided to each participant as well as a set of hardware equipment such as microcontrollers and sensors.
Program Duration
This is a 5-week course running from 9th November.
Time
4:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Program cost
This course will run at a cost of KES. 30, 000
How to Apply and contacts
Applications can be done online at:
For queries, please contact:
Stephen Ng’etich
Email: sngetich@strathmore.edu / iot@strathmore.edu Phone: 0703 034 635
Catch the Biggest Developer Meetups on Mobile and Big Data at @iLabAfrica, Strathmore University with IBM
@iLabAfrica, @iBizAfrica and the IBM Corporate Services Corps team in Strathmore University have organized two meetups for developers in Kenya. the Meetups will be a platform to discuss the latest and futuristic trends in software development especially big data analytics, cloud and the internet of things. The meetups are part of a two weeks-long program to train Kenyan developers on the latest, disruptive and game changing trends in software development, by the best software and business developers from the most innovative company in the world, IBM.
Big Data Developers Meetup
Description: Geared towards developers, data scientists and ALL Big Data enthusiasts, our meetups provide an opportunity to work hands on with the solutions and tools in our Big Data portfolio.
Date: Monday, 19th May 2014
Time: 6 – 8 p.m.
RSVP: Click here!
Place: Management Science Building, Room MSB11, Strathmore University, Madaraka Estate, Ole Sangale Road, 00200 City Square.
First meetup of Nairobi Next Gen Application Developers at Strathmore University
Description: At this meetup we will deliver an introductory presentation about Cloud, Web, Mobile, Social and Internet of Things and Technical walk through of new Cloud development platform IBM BlueMix.
Date: Tuesday 20th May 2014
Time:6 – 8 p.m.
Place: Management Science Building, Room MSB11, Strathmore University, Madaraka Estate, Ole Sangale Road, 00200 City Square.
RSVP: Click here!
All are welcome and its all FREE!
@iLabAfrica, SBS and Strathmore Faculty trained for Digital Marketing in Ireland
The final stage in preparing iLabAfrica to become the first Google certified digital advertising Academy in Africa, was finalised at Google’s HQ for Europe, Middle East and Africa in Dublin Ireland.
The team of 11 from Faculty of IT, School of Management and Commerce, Strathmore Business School and iLabAfrica were trained by dedicated and passionate experts from Google on AdWords and Google Analytics between 5th and 11th Dec. 2013. Adwords and Analytics are Google technologies for digital marketing and web tracking.
The five days training was conducted across four Google offices in Dublin. The training entailed hands-on Advanced Awords, Analytics, Conversion Tracking, YouTube and Google +.
The collaboration between Google and Strathmore University is expected to bare fruits when the first class for Digital Advertising kicks off early next quarter. The program will build capacity for qualified digital advertising personnel in Kenya by training students, professionals and corporate organizations in digital advertising.
@iLabAfrica 