University of Nairobi hosts Regional Data Science Workshop

The University of Nairobi hosted the APHREA-DST Curriculum Validation and Dissemination Workshop from 13 to 15 May 2026 in Nairobi, bringing together researchers, government officials, students, and international partners to assess the progress of data science training initiative and chart its future across Eastern Africa.

Professor Leonidah Kerubo, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Enterprise, officiated the opening ceremony and delivered the keynote address. She described the workshop as a clear demonstration of the university's strategic vision in action, aligning with institutional priorities that include strengthening digitization, advancing internationalization, promoting research excellence, fostering innovation, and deepening community service.

APHREA-DST, which stands for Advancing Public Health Research in Eastern Africa through Data Science Training, is a consortium linking the University of Nairobi, Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia, and Columbia University in the United States. Established in 2022 with funding from the United States National Institutes of Health totaling USD 1,749,838, the project has directed USD 499,931 to the University of Nairobi. It is anchored in the Departments of Mathematics, Computing and Informatics, and Public and Global Health.

The project was designed to address a critical shortage of skilled data science professionals in sub-Saharan Africa, where the rapid growth of health data systems has outpaced local capacity to analyse and interpret that data. The three Principal Investigators leading the consortium are Professor Kiros Berhane of Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, who serves as the overall Principal Investigator; Professor Patrick Weke of the University of Nairobi's School of Mathematics; and Professor Rahel Bekele of Addis Ababa University.

The project's flagship achievement has been the establishment of a Master of Science in Public Health Data Science, the first programme of its kind in both Kenya and Ethiopia. Since its launch, 216 students have enrolled across multiple cohorts, and 46 have already graduated. The demand for the programme has been so strong that the University of Nairobi developed a Bachelor of Science in Data Science, which now records the highest student enrollment of any programme in its category at the university.

Professor Kerubo emphasized the importance of timely completion, noting that the support provided by the National Institutes of Health has enabled students to graduate on schedule. She invited the audience to acknowledge this achievement, observing that it is not easy for postgraduate students to complete their studies within the expected timeframe.

Beyond student training, the project has invested substantially in faculty development. Twelve academic staff members, six from the University of Nairobi and six from Addis Ababa University, have completed a structured faculty development programme that included a one-year mentor-mentee relationship with scholars at Columbia University. This component was designed to build sustainable local teaching and research leadership, ensuring that the African universities can continue to deliver the programme independently. The project has also produced four peer-reviewed research papers published in credible journals, with additional publications in progress.

The project has also begun to look beyond its current boundaries. While the programme has operated primarily in Kenya and Ethiopia, one of its explicit aims has been regional expansion. Contacts have already been established with Uganda and other East African nations, and the consortium is actively exploring what a broader regional footprint might look like. A doctoral programme in public health data science is also under discussion, which would extend the training pipeline from master's-level practitioners to independent researchers capable of leading their own research groups.

For the University of Nairobi, the APHREA-DST project represents a concrete step toward its vision of becoming a globally competitive institution that transforms society. By building local capacity in public health data science and artificial intelligence, the university is contributing directly to improved health outcomes through evidence-based decision-making, disease surveillance, and health systems strengthening. The trained faculty, established programmes, and network of partnerships created over the past four years provide a foundation that the institution intends to build upon, with or without continued external funding.

The APHREA-DST project is funded by the United States National Institutes of Health and anchored at the University of Nairobi, Addis Ababa University, and Columbia University.