Earth’s second-largest continent, Africa, is filled with diverse and rich cultural and historical backgrounds. It is vastly populated, and its 54 countries all have their fair share of amazing destinations, mindblowing cuisines, and remarkable traditions. Additionally, Africa is complete with awe-inspiring geographical features like deserts, rainforests, savannas, and more.
Africa is currently progressing towards many positive developments and improvements when it comes to education. Some of these include the increase in primary school enrolment rate, government projects that aim to build more schools, and new online training platforms for teachers. In countries like Egypt, Morocco, Namibia, Somalia, and Tanzania, the education system follows the typical structure consisting of primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. Although, Egypt and Namibia also include pre-primary levels in their system.
Africa’s data science sector is currently a growing community. There are now several organizations and research centers specializing in the interdisciplinary field. In addition to this, many universities in various African countries have begun offering numerous study programs for those who are interested in data science.
In this guide, we will be talking about some of the best data science universities in Africa.
Which country is best for Data Science in Africa?
When it comes to studying in Africa, there are many states that are well developed and are considered good educational sources for Data Science. One of the countries that may be considered as the best to study in for its universities and academic staff is Egypt. where Cairo has some of the best universities in this program. This country is highly developed, and focuses on academic enhancement for students.If you are interested you can check the information that we have on data science courses, and if you are interested in similar studies that can be helpful, you can check all the available programs that are a part of our website.
Top Universities for Data Science in Africa
1. The American University in Cairo
Located in the Egyptian city of New Cairo, The American University in Cairo (AUC), known as one of the best data science universities in Africa, is a private tertiary education institution. It was founded in the year 1919. Moreover, the American-accredited learning center utilizes English as the medium of instruction.
AUC is an institute that is known for producing well-rounded graduates and some of their alumni who have become very successful individuals in their respective fields include Saudi Arabia’s first-ever female filmmaker Haifaa al-Mansour, journalist and social commentator Mona Eltahawy, computer scientist and entrepreneur Rana el Kaliouby, playwright Yussef El Guindi, and Egyptian financier Hassan Abdalla.
In Egypt, AUC was the first to offer a Bachelor of Science in Data Science degree program. This study option focuses on a handful of learning areas such as databases, mathematics, and programming languages.
2. Al Akhawayn University
Al Akhawayn University is a Moroccan institute of higher education situated in the stunning city of Ifrane. It was founded in 1993, but it officially welcomed students two years later. On another note, the university is fully equipped with housing facilities with lounges, kitchens, laundries, a 24/7 health center, dining halls, libraries, and athletic facilities such as soccer fields, tennis courts, and even an Olympic swimming pool.
A Bachelor’s degree program and a Master’s degree program in Big Data Analytics are offered at this top-notch data science school in Africa. The Bachelor’s program is under the School of Science and Engineering, and it is centered on courses such as Big Data Engineering and Visualization, Data Warehousing, and Statistical Analysis. As for the Master’s program, it will be concentrating on Descriptive Statistics, Machine Learning, Web and Text Mining, and the like. There will also be a Big Data Final Project for the Master’s students.
3. Namibia University of Science and Technology
Located in Namibia’s bustling capital city Windhoek, the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) is a public center of learning. It was established in 1996, around 16 years after higher education became available to residents of Namibia.
As for its faculties, there are six: Faculty of Computing and Informatics, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences, Faculty of Human Sciences, Faculty of Management Sciences, and Faculty of Natural Resources and Spatial Sciences. Other than this, NUST also has the Harold Pupkewitz Graduate School of Business.
Furthermore, besides the faculties, NUST also has a variety of centers that can improve the students’ learning experience at the university, like the Innovation Design Lab, Writing Unit, India Namibia Centre of Excellence in Information Technology, and many more.
NUST offers a Master of Data Science program. It can be taken as a full-time or part-time program. Interested applicants should note that online applications are free.
4. Jamhuriya University of Science and Technology
Somalia’s capital and highly populated city, Mogadishu, is the home of Jamhuriya University of Science and Technology (JUST). Among the best data science universities in Africa, JUST is a private higher educational institution. It is a relatively young university, as it only opened its doors to students in 2011. At JUST, there are three campuses and six faculties: the Faculty of Computer and IT, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Faculty of Economics and Management, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, and Faculty of Education.
JUST offers a Master’s degree program in Data Science. The study duration for this is around 16 to 20 months. Moreover, this study program will focus on nine subjects which will all be taught in English.
5. University of Dar es Salaam
Tanzania’s biggest and oldest public institution of higher education, the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), was officially established in 1970. There are numerous colleges, schools, institutes, and centers at the university.
As it is considered a distinguished university in the country, it has also become the alma mater of several well-known people like Sudan’s former vice president John Garang, current Tanzanian prime minister Kassim Majaliwa, feminist and sociologist Patricia McFadden, engineer and educator Tolly Mbwette, and environmental scientist Irene Tarimo.
The university’s Department of Computer Science and Engineering offers a two-year Master’s degree program in Data Science. Any student who is a degree holder of Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Statistics, Mathematics, or any related field can pursue this program.
Hopefully, this article on the best universities for data science in Africa was helpful and informative. Make sure to also check out the Data Science Programs for International Students to learn more!
