African universities are failing to prepare tech graduates for jobs in AI
After she graduated with a computer science degree from a state university in Nigeria late last year, Oyinda Olatunji was confident she’d land a job with a local data science company by March. She had been through four rounds of interviews and thought the company would soon make her an offer.
The company, however, decided to go with another candidate who had experience working on artificial intelligence. Olatunji had studied topics like data science and machine learning in college, but the course did not include any practical, real-world examples of how AI works. “A data mining course that I did at university was all theory and I just don’t have the right skills that recruitment companies look for,” Olatunji told Rest of World. “As a result, job hunting has grown increasingly difficult.” The 23-year-old said she has missed out on several other job opportunities due to a lack of practical experience in new technologies.
More than 100 African universities offer courses related to AI, including data science and machine learning. But recruitment consultants and academics told Rest of World that graduates from these courses are largely unemployable because the programs are not up-to-date with the industry’s requirements. Several startups have stepped up to bridge this gap: They give young African tech graduates practical experience in AI by organizing projects and competitions where they can win cash prizes. These companies, including Zindi in South Africa, DSNai and ChipLab in Nigeria, and ALX in Kenya, have helped thousands of students find jobs.
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