Big Data
@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
Women in Tech Program awards 7 women-led startups with USD 70,000
- 7 Kenyan women-led startups awarded USD 70,000 through the Women In Tech Program
- To date, 64 start-ups have participated in the Women In Tech Program and 32 have been awarded over KES 38.4 Million in seed funding
The Standard Chartered Bank and @iBizAfrica – Strathmore University, through its partnership program the Women in Tech Incubator program has today awarded 7 women-led businesses with USD 70,000 marking the successful conclusion of the 6th cohort of the incubation program.
The award ceremony, themed Leveraging Technology for Impact, was presided over by The Standard Chartered Bank Board Member, Mr. Imtiaz Khan, Standard Chartered Bank Kenya CEO, Kariuki Ngari Strathmore University Vice Chancellor, Dr. Vincent Ogutu, and @iBizAfrica Incubation Centre- Strathmore University Director, Dr. Joseph Sevilla.
The 6th cohort of the Women in Tech Program, launched in March 2023, attracted a pool of over 250 startups from sectors such as agriculture, finance, transportation, health, and the construction industry. 15 women-led startups were shortlisted to undergo a 3-month incubation training modeled around the fundamentals of business idea conceptualization, strategy formulation, the Internet of Things (IoT), marketing, Big Data, and Artificial Intelligence.
Dr. Vincent Ogutu, the Vice Chancellor at Strathmore University, stated, “As we celebrate the graduation of this Women in Tech Cohort, it’s important to recognize the role of technology in our daily lives. A recent study has shown that only 14.6% of startups in Africa are founded by women; there is hope for a bigger representation. If women receive the right mentorship, training, and coaching, the tech ecosystem in Africa will thrive even more. Currently, 30.9% of all new tech roles are filled by female candidates, showing a slight increase from 29% in the previous year, according to recent statistics. Academia and the private sector need to collaborate more on programs like this that support women-led businesses”.
These 15 teams are an increase from the previous cohorts, where 10 businesses were incubated and 5 startups per cohort received funding.
Speaking during the event, Mr.Kariuki Ngari, CEO, Standard Chartered Bank Kenya & East Africa said, “Supporting women-led enterprises is a key component of our ambition to impact and influence the growth of the SME sector, and the Women in Tech programme enables us to bring this vision to life. We have been able to catalyse growth through our latest cohort and are confident that the entrepreneurs who have gone through the programme will be better positioned to take up the opportunities in across the various sectors that they serve.”
The funding recipients were picked after a rigorous judging process undertaken by accomplished industry experts in both private and public sectors, seasoned entrepreneurs, and academic thought leaders on solution innovation, availability of market opportunity, and social impact in Kenya, among other criteria.
The seven awarded women-led startups demonstrated excellence based on three main criteria:
- A female-led start-up business that solves social economic needs in Kenya
- An innovative startup that utilizes emerging technologies ie. Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence, Augmented and virtual Reality; 3D & 4D Printing; Cloud Computing; Big Data; Blockchain; Drone Technology, and Biometrics.
- A business model with a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) alignment
The Women In Tech Top 7 startups for this year are as follows:
- Sign-With Us – Sign with Us is a Sign language training institution that teaches sign language to anyone around the world who has a passion for sign language, or may interact with a deaf person in their line of work.
- Saidiwa Rides – Aims to bridge the gap between unreliable public transportation and relatively expensive digital taxis with a novel driver-passenger pairing model that permits daily commuters to share taxi seats and share costs.
- Imani Health – An e-wallet that enables people to save specifically for healthcare. It breaks down large payments into piecemeal payments that one can easily pay over time before they need the healthcare service.
- Know Learning Ltd – Revolutionizes parental engagement by providing a user-friendly platform that bridges the gap between schools and parents.
- PanaCare- A healthcare company that provides affordable telemedicine services using USSD technology for consultations, remote monitoring, and health management tools without internet access.
- Rhea Soil Health Management – Rhea provides access to soil testing and agricultural extension services to smallholder farmers, analyzing soil and providing results and fertilizer recommendations through a machine learning-powered recommendation system.
- Instruct Africa -Instruct is a legal tech company that leverages tech and data to provide legal assurance to matatu drivers and bodaboda operators. Our mission is to democratize access to justice and legal tools in the informal sector.
In today’s increasingly digitized landscape, emerging technologies have become essential for startup innovators to integrate into their ventures. Notably, AI startup funding in Kenya is valued at KES 13 billion according to a recent survey. However, the adoption rate of such technologies in Kenya remains relatively low at 28.76%, falling below the global average of 35.17%.
Since its inception, the program has trained more than 64 women-led businesses leveraging on technology by offering mentorship, advisory, coaching, networking opportunities, access to seed capital, and investor forums that help mold their businesses to international standards. To date, 32 startups have been awarded over KES 1.2 million (USD 10,000) in seed funding with the first five cohorts attracting over 2,000 applications.
Unlocking the Future: Upcoming 2nd Global Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Summit
In today’s world, where data and artificial intelligence (AI) is a big part of our everyday lives, the transformative potential of these technologies cannot be underrated.
@iLabAfrica-Strathmore University, is preparing for the 2nd Global Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (GDSAI) summit at Strathmore University on the 9th-10th November.
This year’s theme is ‘Unlock the Power of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence, a Gateway to Understanding and Harnessing the Incredible Possibilities of Data Science and AI.
What to expect
The summit will cover a variety of sectors, such as Agritech, AI, Business, Finance, Climate Change, Data Protection and many more.
The summit is designed to provide individuals and organizations with valuable insights into the fields of data science and AI. Speakers will delve into a variety of compelling topics on Data Protection and Governance in the AI Era, which will shed light on the ethical implications of data and AI usage in Kenya’s diverse sectors.
Participants will be equipped with invaluable tools to navigate the intricate ethical terrain of this AI-driven age.
Participants will get to explore more about the ongoing technological transformation in the agricultural sector, such as precision farming and AI-driven analytics, which will not only optimize their crop yields but also secure global food sustainability for future generations.
Additionally, participants will have the opportunity to see and learn how AI and big data are reshaping the healthcare sector, from the predictive capabilities of analytics to the life-saving potential of preventive care.
The summit has lined up professional speakers such as Hartnell Ndungi, Chief Data Officer at Absa Bank Kenya; Ezekiel Macharia, Managing Director and Chief actuary at Kenbright; Mariam Ibrahim, senior manager at development initiatives; Odanga Madung, senior researcher for elections and platform integrity at the Mozilla Foundation; and Coach Timothy Oriedo, founder and CEO of Predictive Analytics Lab.
By attending the GDSAI summit, participants will:
- Have the opportunity to network and gain insights from industry experts.
- Develop a practical understanding of how data science and AI can be applied across industries.
- Discover and create career opportunities in the dynamic fields of data science and AI.
- Expand their knowledge base of AI and data science.
- Enhance their skill set.
Seize this opportunity by registering now at the GDSAI Summit 2023 to secure your spot at the 2nd GDSAI Summit.
Together, let’s unlock the boundless potential of data science and artificial intelligence.
For more information, contact:
Michelle Kiprono
@iLabAfrica- Strathmore University
Mobile:
Email: michelle.kiprono@strathmore.edu
By Wachira Kevin
Navigating the path of AI Advancement, potential, and responsibility: insights from Dr. Sevilla.
Dr. Joseph Sevilla, Director of @iLabAfrica, speaking during the annual Strathmore Alumni Connect at Strathmore University, Nairobi.
The launch of ChatGPT on 30 November, 2022, by OpenAI, marked the beginning of a smooth ride for researchers, businesspeople, and individuals in the ever-evolving landscape of artificial intelligence.
This remarkable language model, developed by OpenAI, has emerged as a potent tool that holds the potential to reshape how we communicate, automate tasks, and gather information.
ChatGPT has quickly established itself as a key player in the field of natural language processing. Its capacity to produce coherent and contextually appropriate replies has created a wealth of potential users in a variety of sectors.
During the Annual Strathmore Alumni Connect event held at Strathmore University, under the theme ‘4th Industrial Revolution: Innovating for Social Good‘, Dr. Joseph Sevilla, Director @iLabAfrica, talked about the impact of ChatGPT, stating that “ChatGPT, and AI as a whole, is a new tool to be used for social good. However, at the end of the day, you need a human mind to say, this is right and this is wrong.”
ChatGPT’s multilingual capabilities enables it to promote intercultural understanding and facilitate more efficient international communication. It is thus a step in the right direction toward eliminating linguistic barriers that impede communication and cooperation.
The excellence of ChatGPT is not without flaws, though. One of the most urgent issues is that it might produce information that is false or prejudiced. It might unintentionally perpetuate biases already in the data because it is an AI model trained on huge datasets.
Dr. Sevilla proposed that since ChatGPT portrays bias and censorship, it is, therefore, necessary for users to verify the information generated.
“As a result, users must carefully examine the information produced by the system, ensuring accurate and comprehensive understanding by rigorously studying and critically reviewing it, thereby navigating biases and ensuring correct knowledge acquisition,” said Dr. Sevilla.
This underlines the importance of constant examination and modification to ensure that the responses it generates are neither false nor undesirable.
Another drawback is its occasional lack of context awareness. While ChatGPT excels at producing context-based responses, it can also go off-topic or generate answers that appear convincing but are false. This emphasizes the need for consumers to exercise critical thinking and verify information gained from AI sources.
Dr. Sevilla mentioned that the potential for ChatGPT to attain complete accuracy would not culminate in absolute perfection, emphasizing that a point of 100 percent accuracy is beyond its reach.
The importance of ChatGPT cannot be overemphasized; it is a force with the potential to alter communication, boost productivity, and increase cross-cultural understanding. As we incorporate modern technology into various aspects of our lives, we must also exercise caution and responsibility in navigating its limitations. We can guarantee that ChatGPT will become a light of progress, shining the way to a more connected and informed society by embracing its promise while identifying and fixing its faults.
By Wachira Kevin
WOMEN IN TECH 2020 INTAKE OPEN
The Search for Women led businesses is back! @iBizAfrica-Strathmore University in Partnership with Standard Chartered Bank Kenya is excited to Launch the Fourth Cohort of the Women in Tech 2020 program. The call for applicants is now open for women led small and medium businesses leveraging on technology and new business models to drive change and grow communities.
Globally, studies show that sub-Saharan Africa boasts the world’s highest rates of women entrepreneurs, at 27%. But female-led tech startups still have some of the lowest numbers across the continent, despite technology firms led by women experiencing a 35% higher return on investment.
The program theme for this year, “Accelerating the Digital Economy through Women Owned Businesses” reinforces the importance of scaling the gains of female focused entrepreneurial programs and expanding their mandate in bridging financing and industry gaps for early stage ventures.
The Top five participants will win Kes 1 million in seed funding. The teams will be taken through a 12week incubation mentorship and training through the Bank’s Employee Volunteering program. Through the incubation, all the entrepreneurs are offered expert training in the areas of idea conceptualization, strategy formulation and marketing which is key in moving the businesses from incubation to sustainable ventures.
Eligibility Criteria
- The business must be based in Kenya i.e. be aligned with the needs of Kenyans and operating in Kenya
- The company must be a tech-enabled and/or leveraging on emerging technologies, including but not limited to; Internet of Things (IoT); Artificial Intelligence; Robotics; Augmented & Virtual Reality; 3D & 4D Printing; Cloud Computing; Big Data; Blockchain; Drone Technology and Biometrics.
- The company must be founded or cofounded by a woman with an equal or majority stake.
- The founder or co founder must be over 18 years old and Kenyan
- Business models must have a clear focus on sustainability and alignment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- 3 months to less than 2 years of operations.
- Seeking support for proof of concept, customer, product and business model development.
- Pre-revenue with early traction (users).
- Post revenue is an added advantage, with the creation of a new business module.
Program Thematic Areas
Companies solving for any of the 17 SDGs with operations within, but not limited to the following sectors are eligible to apply for the programme;
- Agriculture
- Healthcare
- Education
- Manufacturing
- Information Technology
- Financial Services
- Logistics
Programme Benefits
- 12 weeks of an immersive learning experience
- Access to a leading network of coaching experts
- Access to B2B networking opportunities
- Personalized mentorship sessions to address your unique business needs
- Opportunity to join a supportive Women in Tech Alumni Network
- KES 1,000,000 equity-free grant seed funding for the top five finalists
- 9 months ongoing support from Standard Chartered and @iBizAfrica to assist with the go-to market and scale for the top five finalists.
The Women in Technology Incubator program is Africa’s leading women in tech incubator, that supports local tech businesses and calls for more diversity in the Information technology landscape by providing opportunities for women to develop entrepreneurial skills and leadership excellence.
To register Click here
Know more about the program Click >> https://www.womenintech.co.ke/
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
Learn how to tell captivating stories using Data
DATA STORYTELLING TRAINING
@iLabAfrica in Partnership with Fringe Graph have partnered to offer a training on Data storytelling.
The training is for individuals and groups who want to acquire 21st century skills that will guide them on how to use data in creative ways to tell impactful stories.
For:
Writers, bloggers, journalists and persons interested in learning about how to analyze and use data for better reporting.
For more information register below
Or email
Tanya on togwel@strathmore.edu
0r call 0730 734 476
@iLabAfrica 