Africa data science social enterprise Zindi has launched a new recruitment platform at the AI Expo Africa 2020 event, to help global organisations source data science skills.

According to a statement Zindi plans to draw on its community of over 18 000 data scientists across Africa and the rest of the world to link up skilled talent with organisations.

The platform says zindi.africa/jobs was introduced in response to a clear need from organisations operating in Africa.

Zindi claims 55% of its users are actively looking for their next professional opportunity.

“These users cover a wide range of data science skills and languages, and 75% have a bachelor’s degree or higher qualification. Many are new to the data science field, but approximately half of them boast more than a year of data science experience,” the platform states.

According to Zindi has helped to recruit a data scientist for a COVID-19 response project in the Democratic Republic of Congo for GSMA, and placing the winners of a recent Zindi competition to implement their air quality forecasting solution for AirQo in Uganda.

Celina Lee, CEO of Zindi, said: “Zindi has the largest community of data scientists in Africa, which makes us uniquely positioned to help organisations find the talent they are looking for. We are proud to be pioneering a data-driven, evidence-based approach to data science recruitment in Africa to ensure you get candidates with the proven skills you need.”

Nick Bradshaw, CEO of AI Media Group and co-founder of AI Expo Africa, said: “Zindi’s recruitment platform addresses the shortage of experienced data science talent faced by many organisations operating on the continent. With many organisations moving to become data-driven, the demand for these rare technical skills is increasing exponentially. This platform is set to make it easier for companies to recruit the best available African data scientists.”

Roy Bannister, COO of AI Media Group and co-founder of AI Expo Africa, added: “Zindi has made a name for itself working with African data scientists to crowdsolve the biggest challenges facing the continent.”

Data analytics and COVID-19

During the SAS Global Forum 2020 hosted in June, Oliver Schabenberger, EVP, COO and CTO of SAS, said going forward data science teams are no longer measured by the models they build, but by the value they generate.

The company warned that data scientists and business analysts will have to re-evaluate their models to prepare for a much different landscape.