Event: 3rd DS-I Africa Consortium Meeting
Dates: 3 – 9 November 2023
Location: Kigali Serena Hotel & Conference Centre, Kigali, Rwanda
Overview
The Third DS-I Africa Consortium Meeting brought together researchers, data scientists, practitioners, and stakeholders from across Africa and international partner institutions to advance the application of data science in health research, promote collaboration, and share project progress across the consortium’s expanding network. The in-person event spanned a week of intensive sessions, workshops, and working group meetings in Kigali, Rwanda.
Core Activities and Themes
Datathon and Workshops:
The meeting began with interactive datathon activities and training sessions, including workshops on synthetic data and ethics in medical imaging research. These sessions were designed to engage participants in hands-on problem solving and capacity building in key technical and ethical domains of health data science.
Working Group and PI Meetings:
Structured working group sessions and principal investigator (PI) meetings addressed key facets of consortium work, including data management, partnerships and outreach, training hubs, and ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI) of data science research. These meetings provided focused opportunities for hub leads and working group members to align on strategic priorities and project implementation.
Plenary Presentations and Project Highlights:
Plenary sessions showcased evolving projects and thematic discussions, such as:
- Sustainable Data Analysis Pipelines — covering experiences from multiple data science hubs in Africa, including climate change health analytics and medical imaging research.
- Data Governance & Cross-Border Sharing — with keynotes and panels exploring health data policy, legal frameworks, and international collaboration.
- AI & Machine Learning for Health — featuring expert talks on harnessing artificial intelligence to enhance health research outcomes.
- Effective and Equitable Partnerships — highlighting the role of partnerships across African institutions and beyond.
These sessions included keynote presentations from leaders such as Dr. Luqman Lawal on data science for sustainable healthcare futures, and contributions from international experts on data governance and cross-border data sharing.
Stakeholder Engagement and Networking
The event featured networking and exchange opportunities, enabling consortium members and external partners to forge connections, share research findings, and explore collaborative approaches. Participants included both consortium project leaders and external stakeholders contributing to the broader data science ecosystem in Africa.
Significance and Outcomes
The third consortium meeting reinforced DS-I Africa’s commitment to strengthening data science capacity, fostering ethical and equitable research practices, and building sustainable collaborations across African institutions. By uniting diverse expertise and advancing project work, the meeting contributed to DS-I Africa’s mission to harness data science innovations to address health challenges on the continent.
