Data Science Network Ghana

About Us

History / Background

Origins

The Ghana Data Science Summit (IndabaX Ghana) began in 2019 through the vision of Delali Agbenyegah and Dr. Augustine Denteh, who identified the critical gap in data science education in Ghana. Following Google's establishment of its first African AI Research Center in Accra in 2018, there was a clear opportunity to accelerate Ghana's participation in the global data science revolution.
Our summit is organized by the Data Science Network (a non-profit organization) and Wave-2 Analytics Ltd. in close partnership with Deep Learning Indaba, connecting Ghana to the broader African machine learning community.

Our Journey

Inaugural Summit (2019): The first IndabaX Ghana was held in April 2019 at the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT in Accra, bringing together over 200 participants from across Ghana. The conference featured renowned speakers including Dr. Mustapha Cisse (Google AI), Dr. Ayorkor Korsah (Ashesi University), Dr. Shakir Mohamed (DeepMind), and other prominent data science leaders. The event included hands-on tutorials, business executive sessions, and research presentations. Notably, the best presenter, Ms. Deborah Kanubala, later won the MIT Press Award at the Deep Learning Indaba in Nairobi.
Virtual Summit (2021): Our second edition moved online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, attracting over 150 participants nationwide. Speakers included leaders from IBM, Masakhane, GhanaNLP, Google, DeepMind, and academia. This edition featured a Zindi hackathon with cash prizes and Google AI mentorship opportunities.
Growth and Expansion (2022–2023): The IndabaX Ghana continued to grow its reach across Ghana, consistently building on its success and deepening its impact through regional engagement.
Deep Learning Indaba (2023): In 2023, we achieved a significant milestone by hosting the flagship Deep Learning Indaba, bringing together 800 participants from 36 African countries and cementing Ghana's position on the African AI map.
Fifth Anniversary (2024): Our 2024 edition marks our 5th anniversary, themed "Unleashing the Potential of AI through Grassroots Engagement." Hosted at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, this milestone event aims to reach participants from all 16 regions of Ghana.

Our Vision

To democratize data science literacy and build supportive communities across Ghana and Africa, positioning Ghana as a leader in leveraging data science and artificial intelligence for economic and social transformation.

Our Mission

Creating an inclusive platform where students, professors, researchers, businesses, start-ups, and leaders connect and enhance their capacity in data science. We address key questions in Ghana’s ongoing data science transformation:

“How do I get started in data science?”
“How can businesses deploy Machine Learning and AI to create value?”
“How should educational institutions incorporate Data Science into their curriculum?”

Our Objectives

Awareness

Create awareness of data science and its value across various sectors.

Capacity Building

Build capacity through practical technical training and knowledge sharing.

Collaboration

Foster collaboration between businesses, service providers, and professionals.

Education Transformation

Transform education by helping universities modernize their data science curriculum.

Target Audience

Aspiring and professional data scientists
Researchers and academics in data science, AI, and related fields
University students and recent graduates seeking exposure and mentorship
Tech startups and entrepreneurs building data-driven products
Policy makers and government agencies exploring data-informed decision-making
Corporate organizations and industry leaders investing in analytics and AI
Nonprofits and development agencies leveraging data for impact
Educators and trainers in STEM and digital skills development

Our Impact & Achievements

Overview: Since our inception in 2019, the Ghana Data Science Summit (IndabaX Ghana) has made significant contributions to the data science ecosystem in Ghana. Our initiatives have reached thousands of individuals, transformed educational approaches, and fostered innovation across the country. Below are our key achievements organized by year.

Increased awareness of data science, machine learning, AI, and their applications in Ghana through extensive outreach including mainstream media appearances.
Built capacity through workshops, keynotes, and hands-on training for over 1,500 Ghanaians, with more than 60% being students.
Inspired research by encouraging over 50 Ghana-specific research works through poster presentations and competitions.
Created opportunities through data science career guidance and resume sharing with sponsors, leading to numerous job placements.
Transformed education by influencing local universities to incorporate machine learning and AI into their curriculum.
Expanded reach to all 16 regions of Ghana, ensuring our mission impacts all communities.

Inaugural summit success: First major data science event in Ghana at the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT under “The Promise of Data Science for Economic Transformation.”
Strong attendance: 512 applications → 200 selected → 166 attendees + 24 volunteers = 190 total.
Gender diversity: 26% female participation—well above tech-event averages in Ghana.
International speakers: Dr. Moustapha Cisse, Dr. Ayorkor Korsah, Dr. Shakir Mohamed, Dr. Danielle Belgrave.
Comprehensive program: Three-day spans tutorials, sessions, and executive track.
Research showcase: Top poster (Ms. Deborah Kanubala) won the MIT Press Award at Deep Learning Indaba Nairobi.
High satisfaction: 76% of attendees reported the event exceeded expectations.
Corporate partnerships: Backed by Google, Microsoft, Deep Learning Indaba, Wave-2 Analytics.

No event held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Virtual summit attracting 360 participants (from 1,000+ applicants) during the pandemic.
Zindi hackathon with GHS 4,500 in prizes and Google AI mentorship.
Keynotes and panels featuring IBM, DeepMind, Google AI, Masakhane, and leading AI institutions.
Panels on AI ethics, bias, and data science careers for Ghanaians.

First hybrid conference: “Beyond the Hype: Creating Tangible Value with ML in Africa” at Academic City University.
International reach: Participants from Senegal, Rwanda, Burkina Faso, Congo, Tanzania, Côte d’Ivoire, Malawi.
Gender diversity climbed to 24% female participation.
Pre-conference tutorials in Python, NLP, supervised models, and computer vision.
Speakers: Timnit Gebru (DAIR), Google AI researchers, and African AI experts.
Expanded poster program with cash prizes and travel grants for out-of-Accra students.
90%+ participant satisfaction.

Theme: “Building Capacity in AI for Socioeconomic Development” (April 13).
380 applications (26% female), 121 attendees (94% attendance rate).
32 hackathon participants, 89 tutorial participants.
Hosted flagship Deep Learning Indaba with 800 participants from 36 countries.
Expanded mentorship programs and launched a webinar series featuring African AI experts.

5th Anniversary: Largest, most ambitious conference to date.
Regional Expansion: First event outside Accra (Kumasi, Ashanti Region).
Record Participation: 1,521 applications, 459 attendees (4× growth).
Gender Inclusion: 28.1% female participation—highest ever.
Innovations: Lightning talks, AI demos, first WiMLDS workshop.
New Partners: GIZ, Google, Deep Learning Indaba, Mozilla, Aya Data, MTN, NVIDIA.
Academic Tie-up: KNUST Responsible AI Lab collaboration.
Mentorship Launch: 5th Anniversary Mentorship Program unveiled.
Nationwide Reach: Participants from all 16 regions of Ghana.
High Satisfaction: Overwhelmingly positive feedback, exceeding expectations.

Executive Board

Delali Agbenyegah

Co-Founder & Chair

Delali Agbenyegah is a Senior Data Science leader with over 15 years of experience in creating analytics solutions that drive business revenue across multiple industries. Currently, Delali leads a team of Data Scientists, Data Engineers and Applied Machine Learning Engineers at Shopify (USA) where he oversees the creation of analytical solutions, and the strategic implementation of those solutions drive Shopify’s customer experience and retention Prior to joining Shopify, Delali was the Director of Data Science and Analytics at Carter’s where he led a team of CRM Analysts and Data Scientists within the Carter’s Global Marketing team to design, build and deploy analytics solutions and predictive models that drive customer engagement and loyalty as well as optimize marketing investments.

Before joining Carters, Delali spent two years at Express where he built an enterprise decision science and analytics team that has transformed customer segmentation, lifecycle management, and targeting strategies as well as supported the company’s markdown optimization efforts, saving the company millions of discount dollars while increasing customer retention at the same time. Delali also worked as a Predictive Analytics Manager at Alliance Data Card Services in Columbus Ohio for about eight years where he led a team of Data Scientists and Statistical Consultants in developing and deploying Predictive Analytics Solutions for several Fortune 500 companies across retail and financial services industries.

Prior to joining Alliance Data, Delali was a Statistics Instructor at Columbus State Community College. Delali obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Statistics and Economics from the University of Ghana and a Master of Science degree in Statistics from The University of Akron in Ohio. He is also a Certified Analytics Professional (CAP). He has authored and presented several analytics papers at many conferences including SAS Global Forums and the American Statistical Associations’ conference for Statistical Practice. He co-founded the Ghana Data Science Summit in 2019 and has been the Lead Organizer of IndabaXGhana since 2019 whose aim is to create increased awareness and build capacity in Data Science in his home country, Ghana as well as Africa at large.