Why professional courses offered by the African Centre of Excellence in Data Science are essential

The professional short courses offered by the African Centre of Excellence in Data Science (ACE-DS), in partnership with the Data Science Council of America (DASCA), are yielding good results as the beneficiaries have got improved performance in their respective working fields. The Centre was established at the University of Rwanda on October 17, 2016, with financial support from the Government of Rwanda and The World Bank. The professional short courses offered in partnership with the Data Science Council of America (DASCA) started in February 2020. Prof. Charles Ruranga, the Director of African Centre of Excellence in Data Science said there are six professional courses: Associate Big Data Engineer (ABDE), Senior Big Data Engineer (SBDE), Associate Big Data Analyst (ABDA), Senior Big Data Analyst (SBDA), Senior Data Scientist (SDS), and Principal Data Scientist (PDS). He said that “completing the professional courses can take six months but it depends on participants’ availability.” Mr. Elias Mutezimana, Senior Big Data Engineer, who is the Focal Point for training at the Centre, said that at least 26 students have joined the professional courses since 2021 and five graduates have got certificates. “There is an increasing demand for these professional short courses as many organisations are relying on data science in different fields. The data is helping many organisations to make better decisions,” he said. He explained that with support from the Data Science Council of America (DASCA), the Centre uses special materials that are not available on the local market. “The courses are well prepared to the extent that learners easily understand them. The skills in data being gained are having a positive impact on decision making for national development,” he said. Requirements and additional information are available on https://aceds.ur.ac.rw and specific information on participation fees is available on https://aceds.ur.ac.rw/prices. We met some of participants who completed these professional short courses and Mr. Valens Ndagijimana is one of them. He is a certified Associate Big Data Analyst and got the certificate from Data Science Council of America (DASCA) through the ACE-DS of University of Rwanda in September, 2021. “As a statistician, I learnt that there is a centre of excellence in data science through my former classmates who got the opportunity to undergo Masters of Data science in the centre, particularly I knew about this special certification Program through a workmate who shared the link in the group,” he said. After graduating in the Applied Statistics department of the University of Rwanda, he said he only had basic theoretical knowledge about Statistics and data science. “Therefore, I was searching for more practical hands-on experience and application of theoretical knowledge in real life. Before this course, I had difficulties when handling big data set due to lack of knowledge of statistical tools, I also didn’t have knowledge about application of some complex statistical concepts in real life,” he said. He said that apart from the deep understanding of advanced data science concepts, with the knowledge he got from the course, he said, “I can easily work with very complex datasets (structured and unstructured with learned statistical analysis tools like R, I can automate my daily routine tasks, this allows me to accomplish more compared to the period before the course.” The Centre also offers both PhD and Master’s programs. The courses offered for Master’s and PhD candidates include data science in Data Mining, Biostatistics, Econometrics, Actuarial Science, and Demography.

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Why professional courses offered by the African Centre of Excellence in Data Science are essential