Zindi and Yango team up to build AI solutions for urban mobility in Zambia

In collaboration with UNILUS, Zindi, an online data science competition platform, partnered with Yango, Zambia’s leading e-hailing platform, to organise an urban mobility hackathon in Lusaka. This event aimed to address local transport and traffic challenges through building machine-learning models

Problem:

Zambia lacks localised data for developing solutions tailored to its unique mobility issues. Without such data, it was challenging for data scientists to tackle local problems effectively.

Solution:

The hackathon provided a platform for 174 young data scientists from across Zambia to build machine-learning models using data from Yango. Participants were tasked with predicting average speeds along major roads in Lusaka at different times of the day.

Impact:

The collaboration between Yango, Zindi, and UNILUS has empowered local talent, bridged the gap between theoretical education and practical skills, and fostered innovation in data science. By leveraging Yango’s data, participants developed solutions specific to Zambia’s mobility challenges, marking a crucial step toward addressing local needs.

Yasin Musa Ayani, Zindi Zambia Country Ambassador, emphasised, “Zindi is thrilled to host an all-new data science hackathon powered by Yango focusing on predicting mobility in Lusaka.”

Kabanda Chewe, Yango Country Manager, said, “Yango is dedicated to raising the next generation of data scientists in Zambia to bridge the gap of skills development and theoretical education. As a tech company that provides technology for local transport companies, it is important that we are informed by data-driven decisions. Thus we felt it is imperative to leverage the data we have to provide a platform that promotes young innovators and data scientists to create technological-driven data solutions to our everyday challenges.”

Natasha Mawila, Director of Business Development at UNILUS, said, “We are grateful for the opportunity given to our students to participate in the hackathon on urban mobility hosted at UNILUS. We’re looking forward to more experiences like this one, and our doors at the University of Lusaka are always open for collaboration. We’re thrilled to have had the opportunity to host the hackathon and we are excited about the prospect of future collaborations in support of our students, as UNILUS is committed to providing the best educational experience for our students.”

The Yango Urban Mobility Hackathon exemplified the power of collaboration between industry, academia, and technology platforms in driving positive change. It not only provided solutions to urban mobility challenges in Lusaka but also showcased the potential of data science to transform communities in Zambia and across Africa. Yango and Zindi’s contributions to fostering local talent and innovation underscore their commitment to shaping the future of work and the AI space on the continent.

You can read the original release here.