Story by Wellington Makonese
THE country has opened its tertiary institutions to data science in line with promoting sustainable development through the creation of jobs, improving financial inclusion, and combating emerging crises such as climate change.
The Data Science Zimbabwe conference became a platform for established and emerging data scientists to exchange ideas on how to effectively put data to use for national development.
Harare Institute of Technology students spoke on the importance of incubation and transfer of ideas for the country’s development.
“This is a critical phase in our careers as students to integrate with industry to share how decision-making in focusing be it in the transaction, or the future, brings us closer to the 1st world,” said a student.
“These critical engagements in networking in the diverse data verse, is a complex data in finance, agriculture etc,” said another student.
Experts believe effectively capturing data in various fields is essential in the quest for Zimbabwe’s rapid industrialisation
Harare Institute of Technology Post Graduate Unit Coordinator, Mrs Monica Gondo said, “We have started making steps but It’s more like emerging, we have collaborations with industry younger minds and they can explore. We talk of A1 robotics but we are chasing the power to harness its power for our benefit, in mining, agriculture and business.”
“In our context and postgraduates, we want to see how we can capacitate and enhance knowledge in students and industry for us to get value out of data in telecoms or government,” said the School of Information Science and Technology Harare Institute of Technology’s Post Graduate Coordinator, Mainford Mutandavari said.
Zimbabwe has been making steady progress in putting data into use where institutions such as the Zimbabwe National
Geo-Spatial Agency (ZINGSA) are leading through analysis of the country’s first satellite into space ZIMSAT 1
