Theme: Big Data for Digital/Financial Inclusion

Innovating for the next billions requires a different analytical mindset and engagement approaches. The drive towards the achievement of the millennium development goals requires a need-based deployment of machine learning and artificial intelligence methodologies in ways that address fundamental socio-economic issues with significant local content.

Big Data is not an end in itself but a mean to solving complex social puzzles; demystifying underlying behavioural drivers buried in unstructured data, identifying multi-attribute alternative data when traditional data are absent, articulating the non-obvious insight due to digital divide or illiteracy and simplifying engagement channels in the natural language of the target audience via speech-based chatbots and USSD interface. This is the path to achieving Prof C.K. Prahalad’s 4As of penetrating the bottom of the pyramid (Awareness, Access, Affordability and Availability) and the Niti Bhan’s 5Ds (Development, Design, Demand, Distribution and Dignity) of integrating the socially excluded.

2018 is therefore dedicated to an exploration into the world of the underserved, unserved, digi-phobias, digital aliens, thin-file invisible customers and the over 50% in the critical mass through an intelligent use of machine learning and big data (structured, unstructured, audio, video or text).

January 2018

• Kick-off of DSN PhD4Innovation hub
• Kaggle competition 1 – Customer Churn prediction for Telecoms
• Unveiling of the 10 courses required to qualify for October 2018 bootcamp

February 2018

• MentorAfricanDataScientist : Pairing of 1^st batch of local data scientists with international mentors

March 2018

• Industry Best Practice Showcase
  • Big Data/AI for Marketing/Sales/Customer Service Excellence for CMOs/Marketing/Sales/Channel Director, Marketing Managers, Brand Directors, Media Directors/Managers, Digital/Event/Sponsorship/Shopper Managers, Strategy Heads, Business Development Managers, Advertising Agency Strategy/Business Directors etc.

• Release of Nigeria Sociographics Report for 2017
  • An extensive use of natural language processing to understand what shaped consumption, social sentiment, consumer confidence and which brands are well situated within these domains of social influence using social footprint analysis (Google search, social/media and blog comments and tweets)

April 2018

• Kaggle competition 2- Image classification

May 1^st 2018:

• Kick off of Inter-University Machine Learning/Data Science Competition

June- August 2018

• Campus visit for awareness and competition

July 2018

• Kaggle competition 3 – Risk assessment in the high-risk segment
• Data Science Africa Conference in Abuja

October 8-9

• Executive Masterclass Big Data/Machine Learning/AI class
  • Everything Executives must know on Big Data, Machine Learning and AI in simple language of business impact and how to articulate an executive data strategy/vision for a company
  • For C-level and strategic decision makers

October 10

• Big Data Economy Summit
  • Focus: Big Data for Digital/Financial Inclusion
  • Release of DSN multiple-variable Credit Scoring algorithm project (psychometrics, social media, online footprint, on-device mobile behaviour, social context, macro influences etc.)

October 10-15

• Bootcamp and Hackathon
  • Focus: Deep Learning, NLP and chatbot development
  • Hackathon on multiple-variable Credit Scoring algorithm development (psychometrics, social media, online footprint, on-device mobile behaviour, social context, macro influences etc.)

November 2018

• Kick of Data Science Nigeria Academy partnership programme

December 2018

• Launch of Data Scientists on Demand programme.
• Selection of PhD/Masters and volunteer research to work on 3 major
• Advisory Board Meeting