Data Science Nigeria

Our Achievements and Impact

Our achievement has redefined the data science and AI landscape across Africa and beyond. Through a unique blend of capacity building, solution development, and ecosystem strengthening, we have delivered scalable, data-driven innovations that solve real-world challenges, particularly in emerging markets.

Our global reach is matched by deep local impact: from advancing inclusive education through adaptive learning platforms to deploying AI solutions that improve public health, agriculture, and financial inclusion. We have empowered a new generation of data scientists through scholarships, world-class training, and mentorship, many of whom now contribute to global research, startups, and development projects.

With a thriving community spanning over 100 physical learning hubs and a network of 1,000+ mentors, we are at the forefront of knowledge exchange and innovation. Our open-source tools, like the Data Fluency AI Platform, and key contributions to national strategies such as Nigeria’s AI policy, underscore our commitment to sustainable, inclusive development.

Through this work, we have not only accelerated Africa’s digital transformation but also positioned ourselves as a global leader in AI for social good.

See as we celebrate some of our

Accomplishments

Winner of Grand Challenge 2023. An initiative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Winner of AI/Machine Learning Excellence Award of Art & Technology Lagos 2023.

2 products selected in the Global Top 100 AI Products by UNESCO IRCAI in 2021 & 2022.

Here are some of our key highlights:

Winner, Didactic Paper Award at The International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR) 2025, Singapore

Winner, The Luminate Grant 2024 (to execute the Nigeria AI Collective)

Co-facilitated the development of Nigeria’s National AI Strategy through research, workshops, and strategic planning to shape the country's AI vision and roadmap.

Winner, Best Paper Award at The International Conference on Learning Representations 2024, Austria

As of April 2025, our research has garnered over 18,400 reference citations on Academia.edu, a clear reflection of its impact and global reach.

Appointed Senior Advisor to the UK Government’s 2024 International Scientific Report on Advanced AI Safety.

Honourable Mention for Compelling Visuals at the Pale Blue Dot Visualisation Challenge 2024, an initiative of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Winner, Grand Challenge 2023 (an initiative of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation)

Winner, The Nigerian AI Research Grant 2023

Winner, AI/Machine Learning Excellence Award of Arts &Technology Lagos 2023

Developed the National Financial Inclusion Dashboard for the Central Bank of Nigeria in partnership with EFInA in 2022

Winner, Global Top 100 AI Products by UNESCO International Research Centre On Artificial Intelligence 2021 & 2022

Made history as the sole African finalist in the prestigious XPrize COVID Prediction Algorithm competition.

Ranked as Africa’s #2 AI center by the South African Institute of Labour Economics, ahead of many top universities.

Recognised by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for our pioneering work in Synthetic Local Data Generation

Reached over 8 million learners through the Mastercard-supported Learn at Home project.

Recognized for the nationwide distribution of over 10,000 AI learning videos through the novel AI Knowledge Box

Achieved a global milestone with the Online Learners’ Network now present in 96 countries worldwide.

Launched Nigeria’s first AI Start-up Incubation Lab to fuel innovation and grow AI-powered businesses.

Winner, Wangari Maathai Impact Award 2019

Built a global network of 1,000+ mentors and 100+ learning hubs, equipping the next generation of professionals for success.

Released the First Artificial Intelligence book for kids in Africa.

Reached over 1,000,000 direct downloads of our "Artificial Intelligence for Starters" free eBook, designed to stimulate interest in AI through practical use cases

Empowered 900,000+ learners through our free AI, Data Science, and digital skills training, building a new wave of tech talent.

Winner, Best Paper Award at The International Conference on Learning Representations 2024

Winner, The Nigerian AI Research Grant 2023

Launched first-of-its-kind AI for Beginners’ video in Hausa Language.

Winner, AI/Machine Learning Excellence Award of Arts &Technology Lagos 2023

Winner, Global Top 100 AI Products by UNESCO International Research Centre On Artificial Intelligence 2021 & 2022

Winner, Grand Challenge 2023 (an initiative of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation)

Honourable Mention for Compelling Visuals, Pale Blue Dot Visualisation Challenge 2024

Over 17,056 reference citations on Academia.edu as of July 2024

Winner, The Luminate Grant 2024 (to execute AI Collective in Nigeria)

Online Leaners’ Network presence in 96 countries across the world.

Winner, Wangari Maathai Impact Award 2019

We have an archive of over 25,000 learning videos on different skills in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence.

We have a diverse network of over 1,000 mentors across various sectors, dedicated to preparing the next generation of professionals.

We have over 100 physical learning communities in cities and on campuses in and outside Nigeria.

Co-facilitated the Nigeria National AI Strategy.

First Artificial Intelligence book for kids in Africa.

During our COVID-19 intervention programme, over 1 million young students (Primary 4 - SS2) utilised our Learn at Home platform for their studies.

Over 900,000 learners have benefited from the DSN’s free online and offline training sessions in Artificial intelligence, Data Science and digital skill-related classes.

The only African finalist at the XPrize Algorithm for COVID prediction competition.

1,000,000+ direct download of our Artificial Intelligence for Starter free ebook to stimulate interest in Artificial Intelligence through use cases and inspirational contribution from leading global AI experts including Prof Yoshua Bengio, Professor Emeritus Thomas G. Dietterich and Prof. dr. M. (Max) Welling.

The first dedicated AI Start-up Incubation Lab in Nigeria