Telecel Ghana CEO, Ing. Patricia Obo-Nai, has urged young data scientists to channel their technical expertise into solutions that address Ghana’s most urgent challenges. Speaking at the 2025 Ghana Data Science Summit held at Ashesi University, she emphasized that data’s true value lies not in its volume but in its potential to drive social impact.
Under the summit theme, “From Skills to Impact: Empowering Ghana’s Data Science Evolution,” Obo-Nai highlighted how data science has evolved into a global force for automation, prediction, and transformation. She noted that although interest in the field is growing, obstacles such as limited hands-on experience, costly computing resources, and narrow career pathways persist.
“Without opportunities to apply your skills, technical knowledge risks becoming an unused asset,” she said. She also stressed the need for partnerships between academia and industry to create practical, project-based learning environments, as well as mentorship and inclusive job opportunities.
Obo-Nai shared how Telecel Ghana integrates data science into operations such as fraud detection, revenue forecasting, and the development of personalized customer bundles like Made4Me. She also referenced the telco’s Data for Good partnership with the Ghana Statistical Service and Flowminder, which supports crisis response using anonymized mobility data.
Calling for open data platforms, standard data-sharing agreements, and advanced research centres, she challenged participants to build a data-driven Ghana. “It’s not enough to code. Your skills should solve real-world problems—help farmers, improve health outcomes, and build fintech solutions.”
The three-day summit, known as IndabaX Ghana, was launched in 2019 to promote machine learning and AI across sectors. It continues to serve as a vital platform for academia, industry, and government to advance Ghana’s data science ecosystem.
Source: BusinessGhana
