NawiriTech Wangari Maathai Sprint

A beginner-friendly program designed to equip you with data science skills you need to kick-start your data science career, or upskill in your workplace.

Delivery: Synchronous & Online, Mondays-Thursdays, 2pm-4pm UTC

Cost: $750 (Scholarship of $250 for every admitted student)

Applications for this program are currently closed, but you can still sign up to show interest

A NawiriTech sprint is a beginner-friendly program designed to equip you with foundational skills and knowledge in data science. It is a fast paced 12-week program where you not only learn how to work with data, but also build a problem solving mindset while doing it. You work alongside 25 learners from all over Africa, and access to facilitators with synchronous, online discussion sessions. By the end of the program, you work on a data project in the field you are passionate about, applying the skills learned from the program.

What is a NawiriTech sprint?

1200+ applications

from 27 countries in Africa

51 learners

in our learning community

$ 250+ scholarship

for every admitted student

12 countries

represented in our alumni community

lModules

Data Science for Social Impact

By the end of this module you will have learnt:

  • Statistics and probability for exploratory data analysis

  • To analyze trends and relationships in data

  • Establish causal relationships in data

  • Form a hypothesis

  • Build and evaluate a predictive model

  • Research techniques for the social impact sector

  • Foundational concepts in Machine Learning

Problem Solving and Programming

By the end of this module you will be able to:

  • Have a strong grounding in Python programming in working with data

  • Perform data analysis in Python and write a data analysis report

  • Build dashboards to visualize and communicate findings, and understand visual colour perceptions

  • Take advantage of emerging tools in AI and Large Language Models (LLMs)

  • Translate what you’ve learnt in the Data Science for Social Impact module in python code

This curriculum is tailored to build strong foundations in python programming, statistics, problem-solving and research. You will develop a solid understanding of data science and practice how to question, transform, explore and visualize data, and predict future outcomes.

You will apply your knowledge through learning in case studies, group assignments and a final project, helping you build your portfolio and expertise for working with data.

Selection Timeline

Applicants must submit an online application after which they will be invited for an assessment, followed by an interview with the team.

Please note that payment will only be made after you get admitted into the program and not during the application cycle.

March 26, 2024

Applications Open

April 29, 2024

Interview Invitation

April 23, 2024

Application Deadline

May 12, 2024

Application Decision

April 27, 2024

Online Assessment

May 20th, 2024

Program Starts

Who should apply?

This program is for…

  • Young professionals working in diverse fields eg. health, law, climate etc. looking to upskill or gain skills in data science to be more effective in your workplace

  • Recent graduates looking to build data science skills and a portfolio for your career

  • University students looking to be introduced to data science from a beginner-friendly level and build a data science portfolio

We welcome applications from citizens of all African countries, and from all academic, professional and socio-economic backgrounds.

Applicants should be willing to commit 15-20 hours per week for a duration of 12 weeks from May 20 - August 9 2024.

We particularly encourage non-technical professionals, students and recent graduates, and people looking to upskill in data science to apply for this program.

Written applications for this program will close on April 23rd, after which select applicants will be invited to the next step of the application process.

Why NawiriTech?

We believe that data science education is a vital 21st century skill for everyone to be more effective in solving problems. But it doesn’t stop here. We provide you with quality education, and opportunities both during and after the program.

Personalized learning

You will learn in a cohort of 25-30 students through synchronous, online sessions ensuring you have 1-1 support and access to facilitators throughout the whole program.

Building community

The program will put you in touch with like minded and data passionate individuals from all over Africa to collaborate with and continue learning from.

Real world exposure

You will use case studies from Africa to understand data, and apply skills learned in a real world project that you care about using a real-world dataset.

Post program opportunities

Joining the NawiriTech community gives you access to opportunities such a project help-desks in which the facilitators help you with your data projects from work or school. We also share job and internship opportunities, resume building, interview preps and occassionally gather our alumni physically for networking retreats.

WHAT OUR ALUMNI ARE SAYING

  • The NawiriTech sprint was not your typical workshop or training session - instead, it was a collaborative, supportive environment where we could all learn and grow together

    Lawrence Mboya

  • We were able to center our discussions on crucial issues, such as education and health, which greatly impact the African continent.

    Doreen Kirui

  • I feel like I got a new big family, people with similar interests. I also got to build relationships with the amazing team.

    Veronicah Gathoni

Program Facilitators

Andrew Kimani

Ofentse Rice

Ofentse Rice

Apollinaire Abi

Clinton Manoti

Guest Faculty

Anita Makori

MSc, University of Oxford

Nikita Kaushal

PhD, University of Oxford

Bhasi Nair

PhD, University of Cambridge

Shreyansi Jain

MSc, University of Glasgow

Thomas Murray

MFA, Virginia Tech

Abhilash Mishra

PhD, Caltech

 FAQs

  • Tuition fees for the NawiriTech Wangari Maathai Sprint are $750. However, with support from philanthropic partners at Equitech Futures, every admitted learner receives a scholarship of $250. We will also award micro-scholarships of up to $100 to some learners and $50 for referrals from alumni. Therefore this amount will be deducted from total tuition cost for this program.

  • As part of our efforts to make sure this program is accessible to all individuals, we will offer up to $100 in microscholarships to select learners depending on their performance in the admission test. Information on this will be communicated on completion of review of your written application.

  • Our alumni have referral codes that will enable you to receive a discount on the total amount payable. You can receive this code by reaching out to any of our alumni and asking for a referral code. You will be asked to fill this code during the application process.

  • The NawiriTech Wangari Maathai sprint program will run for 12 weeks from May 20 to August 9, 2024.

  • For successful completion of the program, we recommend committing 15-20 hours/week. This is inclusive of 10-12 hours of synchronous, live sessions and 5-8 hours of additional work and assignments.

  • We admit 25-30 learners per cohort making it possible for a one on one support from facilitators and ensuring individualized learning. It also enable us to create a strong community and network that lasts beyond the program.

  • As part of efforts to bring awareness to the work of African scientists, we name our programs after them and use our programs to illuminate their contributions.