The Data Science Without Borders (DSWB) project team recently embarked on a Pathfinder tour to Ethiopia, Cameroon, and Senegal. This tour marked a significant milestone in enhancing data science capacity for health across Africa. Launched in February 2024, the DSWB project will operate for three years. This project is a collaborative initiative receiving technical oversight from the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). DSWB will be implemented in three African institutions, including the Armauer Hansen Research Institute (AHRI) in Ethiopia, Douala General Hospital (DGH) in Cameroon, and the Institute for Health Research—Epidemiological Surveillance and Training (IRESSEF) in Senegal, with leadership from the project lead, Dr. Agnes Kiragga from the African Population and Health Research Center, Kenya. In collaboration with key technical partners such as the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), UK, the Committee on Data (CODATA), France, Makerere Artificial Intelligence Lab (Mak AI Lab), Uganda, and the Open Science Program Office (OSPO Now), UK, The project’s primary goal is to co-design strategies that leverage advanced data science tools, including machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI), that will leverage locally generated data sets to address locally derived research questions that aim to improve African health outcomes.
The team was hosted at the Armauer Hansen Research Institute (AHRI), led by the Director General, Prof. Afework Kassi, and the site principal investigator, Dr. Alemseged Abdissa. The team met with several delegates from the different regional health bureaus, Oromia and Amhara, Health and Demographic Surveillance Sites, and the leadership of the ALERT Hospital, one of six national referral hospitals. The discussions focused on Ethiopia’s reconstruction and digitalization reforms, which have evolved over 53 years of AHRI’s existence. Developing data-sharing frameworks and policies has also improved AHRI’s access to data from other government systems, enhancing their surveillance efforts. AHRI is currently building a data center with three different data storage systems, with plans to digitize all of them. The visit underscored opportunities leveraging local datasets, set systems for prioritizing research questions, and identified key opportunities for training that will be covered through four PhD scholarships at AHRI.
The DSWB project received technical oversight from the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and visited the Directorate of Science and Innovation, Dr. Musoka Papa Fallah, Dr. Elvis Temfack, and Dr. Nebiyu Derebe. Discussions focused on aligning the project with the Africa CDC’s broader goals and strategies for building data science capacity and aligning the efforts with continental plans for health information exchange and workforce development for data professionals across Africa.
The DSWB team then visited the Douala General Hospital (DGH) Cameron, where the team, led by Dr. Bertrand Hugo Mbathchuot, highlighted the potential of hospital records to drive informed clinical decisions. The discussions emphasized the need for robust electronic health systems and AI training to enhance healthcare in Cameroon. Several datasets were identified for AI and machine-learning model development to improve patient care. The visit concluded with a grand tour of the Douala General Hospital and a special session on data science for medical students and hospital workers. The project will also train several master’s students to support data usage and install AI and ML models on local datasets.
Last but not least, the tour ended in Senegal, where the team was hosted by Prof. Souluman Mboup, the Executive Director of the Institute for Health Research—Epidemiological Surveillance and Training (IRESSEF), and the site principal investigator, Dr. Mousa Sarr. Critical discussions included the use of available research and program data sets generated at the Institute and more unique datasets, such as electronic health datasets from the Hospital Military De Ouakam, a key partner with IRESSEF. Several research questions were prioritized, will be led by local researchers and students, and will be supported by the project technical partners. We learned that Senegal is advancing in data science by establishing a data center and supercomputer in Diamniadio and has developed a national data and AI strategy in 2023. Early-stage AI projects are emerging in public and private sectors, including using a robot for TB screening at the IRESSEF bio-medical laboratory.
As the DSWB team reflects on the insights and progress made during these visits, we are committed to building on this momentum over the next three years. Our goal is to empower African researchers to lead data-science-driven research projects, develop data science capacity, and identify cross-cutting themes that will be addressed through multi-country data sharing platforms. This African-led partnership reflects the current drive to enhance local collaborations to solve challenges that cut across the continent and speak to achieving Africa’s Agenda 2063—to improve public health and work towards the Africa we want. We are grateful for the support and funding from Wellcome and other partners, and we are excited about the positive impact our work will have on local communities.