African Women Conference Digital Tech Hub Graduates Fellows

The first cohort of Fellows of the African Women Conference (AWC) Women and Girls Digital Tech Hub AI and Data Science Programme has graduated.

The six-month virtual programme, held in partnership with the Helpline Social Support Initiative (HSSI) and DataCamp Donates USA, was established following resolutions reached at the 2024 Africa Women Conference in Zambia, where stakeholders identified the urgent need to bridge the digital divide and create more opportunities for African women and girls in technology and innovation.

During the graduation, the convener of the African Women Conference and president of Helpline Social Support Initiative, Dr Jumai Ahmadu, described the event as “a celebration of courage, resilience and the limitless potential of African women and girls in technology.”

Ahmadu congratulated the nine outstanding fellows from Algeria, Tanzania, Senegal, South Africa, Niger, Rwanda, Madagascar, Namibia, and Botswana who completed the intensive Artificial Intelligence and Data Science programme and earned globally recognised certifications from DataCamp.

According to programme statistics presented during the ceremony, nearly 3,500 applications were received across Africa. Following a rigorous selection process, 100 participants were onboarded to the programme, while approximately 40–50 advanced to the second phase. Ultimately, nine fellows completed the entire programme track.

The fellows completed specialised tracks including Associate AI Engineer for Data Science, Associate Data Scientist in Python, Associate Data, Analyst in SQL and Data Analyst in Power BI.

The participants shared inspiring testimonies on how the programme enhanced their technical skills, strengthened their confidence, improved their startups and careers, and positioned them to become mentors and innovators within their communities.

Ahmadu expressed appreciation to DataCamp for providing 100 free licenses to support African women in technology, and commended the HSSI and the programme implementation team for their dedication and resilience throughout the project.