Data Science Nigeria creates AI-powered products for the underserved

Data Science Nigeria creates AI-powered products for the underserved

MTN Nigeria's Olubayo Adekanmbi took a study leave in 2014 to complete a PhD in London. He previously led the telco's Analytics, Business Intelligence, and Data Science division, overseeing Africa's largest database.

During his PhD, he collected data in the UK, China, India, and the US. He was more exposed than ever to the enormous economic value of big data and AI. In the UK, where he spent a lot of time, he saw how university-based artificial intelligence researchers and their technologies were seamlessly integrated.

There was no collaboration between universities and industries, and no exchange of experts or technologies that fueled growth. This new experience shifted his worldview and prompted him to consider hiring data scientists and AI experts.

So, upon his return to Nigeria in October 2016, he set about creating Africa's largest data network: Data Science Nigeria (DSN).

DSN is a non-profit organization founded to train a million data and AI scientists over the next decade. After nearly five years, it has opened three hubs across Lagos, including the first AI hub in West Africa, which will nurture AI-enabled startups.

A for-profit venture will be part of DSN's new business model. While the company will not abandon its founding mission, it will seek to monetize some of its non-profit work to keep the lights on.

Creating digital products for the underserved

Initially, DSN was funded by grants, donations, and family contributions. It must diversify its revenue streams to scale and become a major African talent bakehouse, so it has chosen to develop commercial products.

And Adekambi says the DSN is built on learning, impact, and sustainability. These three principles translate into super talents and products that can be easily exported to markets like the UK, India, and the US. The organization has completed half of its talent projections and is now focusing on real-world problems.

Aside from SpotOn, the data talent factory has created LearnAtHome.radio, a learning platform for students using feature phones. These two products are commercially viable and form the basis for DSN's scalable product development.

Spot On gives underserved communities a digital footprint.

According to the UN, over 75% of countries lack adequate addressing systems. Over 400 million Africans are disadvantaged when it comes to opportunities like e-commerce and banking.

SpotOn is a software that assigns digital addresses to people based on their phone numbers, especially in low-income areas. It also allows users to list their goods and services on SpotOn. A roadside plumber with an address can use the platform to advertise his services, prices, and hours. Users' and businesses' addresses can be found by searching for their phone numbers.

SpotOn also has an e-wallet where users can receive, send, and save money using their phone numbers. The product combines addressing, e-commerce, and fintech into one.

Consider OkHi, Bumpa, and Eyowo as parts of a whole.

"Your phone number can do a lot offline. "We help our target audience digitize their commerce, not just their digital footprint," Adekanmbi explains. For low-income residents, it creates social welfare by enabling them to build digital credentials that translate into long-term value.

Now in beta in one of Lagos's biggest markets. The response has been overwhelming, the company says.

A grant of over $1.3 million was used to map health facilities and pharmaceutical shops across Nigeria using the product's addressing feature.

The platform will be free to use once it exits beta. A commission is charged once a user uses their wallet to make transactions. SpotOn's main revenue stream will come from selling insights to industries like fast moving consumer goods.

Concerning leveraging industry knowledge, "We are first and foremost a data company," Adekanmbi explained, "and the broadband data generated on SpotOn can support large businesses seeking access to our audience, which is primarily low-income households."

Interactive learning for underserved populations

During the pandemic, many children from low-income families and communities were unable to learn online due to lack of resources. It's a fact that most of them don't have smartphones, and those who do would rather spend money on

Although the government established educational radio programs where teachers teach and students listen, this method is passive and inefficient, lacking in testing and feedback from students.

To provide interactive learning via a feature phone, DSN developed LearnAtHome.radio with funding from the Mastercard Foundation. It is a more effective and efficient method of radio education than using the internet.

LearnAtHome works like this: Students access classes by clicking links in SMS messages. During class, the teacher directs them to a shortcode where they can immediately take quizzes on the subject being taught.

After class, the student can access "interactive learning engine" SMS quizzes. The quiz gets harder as they progress through the subject, just like in real school. If they don't do well on quizzes, they'll get an SMS explaining why.

A massive adaptive AI learning engine that personalizes learning through SMS is the ultimate goal. "We want to make radio more interactive, develop a web interface that can be deployed on feature phones," Adekanmbi said.

LearnAtHome has over eight million users, up nearly 25% since June, when the company opened its AI hub in Yaba. This site is aimed at those who have limited or no access to the internet.

"Real solutions don't need to be sold. We talked about the product's benefits with parents in the market and on the street. "We used radio jingles and NYSC members were great advocates," Adekambi said when asked how the platform gained so much traction so quickly.