The growing demand for predictive analytics for use in decision making has revealed a shortage of competencies in data science in Africa, according to the Africa Data Forum.

The three-year-old training academy for data scientists is hosting summits in South Africa, Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria throughout 2017. Representatives from businesses and government will consider ways to improve the skills base on the continent, while aiding organisations' success.

Shepherd Mzinyathi, Africa Data Forum CEO says while the shortage of data science skills on the continent is well established, this can be of value if investments are made into grooming more data data scientists.

"Even as software is gets better every day, there is still no way to replace the skills and experience that a full-fledged data scientist can bring to the table. Organisations can take the view that there is no immediate solution to the problem and rely on the use of mostly expatriate consulting skills or they can choose to take a proactive approach. Africa Data Forum believes in the latter. Africa is endowed with abundant human resources. These resources need to harnessed and channelled into productive and useful career paths that include Data Science."

Mzinyathi says the first level of intervention is in the workplace, by training and upskilling those employees already employed in IT, product development, and business intelligence roles in data analytics by way of accredited and certified short courses.

The second level of intervention, he adds, should be the inclusion of IT and mathematics graduates on a dedicated Data Scientist Graduate Learnership programme to empower them with the required skills and qualifications for effective work as Data Analysts in their respective industries.

"Learnerships act as an effective way to groom students for an efficient transition to the general business world and company culture."

Mzinyathi cites Kenya's mobile money service M-Pesa as an example of the transformative power of innovation in Africa.

"The continent will lead innovation in this sector - especially when you start to think about the services that can be built on top of this data stream."

His views echo those of expressed by former former Governor of the Central Bank of Kenya Professor Ndung'u.

Last month, in an article published in Brookings Africa Growth Initiative scholars Foresight Africa, that M-Pesa (as well as similar products in Tanzania and other parts) pushes the frontier of innovation and financial inclusion and therefore presents a wealth of opportunity for further innovation.

Thula Ngonyama, non-executive board member of the Africa Data Science Association says Africa Data Forum's Africa Data Academy is an attempt to help organisations to build their team's data science skills, as well as to get them certified and recognised globally as a way to capitalise on opportunities created by the lack of skills on the continent.

Africa Data Academy covers Business Intelligence and measurement information, data regulations and data governance as part of a two-year graduate programme.