A year ago, the efforts to build a diverse and inclusive KNIME User group intensified with active influence and engagement from our users. In particular, KNIME Educator Maryam Olaniyan began teaching beginner courses, sharing solution workflows through the KNIME Hub, and redeveloping the Nigeria KNIME User Group to build a broader African KNIME Users Community.
As an open-source platform, KNIME is designed to include all users, regardless of race, gender, or any other demographic. To ensure continuous access and bridge the skill gap in the technology sector, the African KNIME Users Community is an initiative to provide adequate learning resources, organised platforms and rewarding activities are created to our black users.
In this blog post, Maryam shares some impacts from the community and hopes for the future.
Building and Nurturing the Community in Africa
I have taught KNIME in multiple existing data analytics groups in Nigeria since 2021 and have participated in numerous challenges, including the #66daysofdata and #JustKNIMEit.
Officially announcing the start of the Africa KNIME Community sparked interest amongst new and existing data users in Nigeria.
Since its launch, the KNIME community has significantly impacted the development of data science and analytics in various sectors. Users have been able to create tools and workflows to quickly and easily analyse data and find meaningful insights. The community also provides a platform for users to collaborate, share ideas, and build upon each other’s work.
Some solutions have enabled users to proffer KNIME in their various companies as an effective tool for creating and deploying data-driven applications quickly and cost-effectively.
KNIME at DataFest Africa Event
As black talents continue to grow across the African continent and globally, having close connections with technology companies helps to foster a more evident reality of available opportunities.
I was pleased to see the enthusiasm and willingness to support the African data community from KNIME as a sponsor for the first and most significant gathering of data professionals in Africa.
At this event, the KNIME team connected with prospective and existing users, providing detailed materials, resources and learning paths to certifications. My demo session showed how to use KNIME as an ETL tool on sample customer data and proved to the users the endless capabilities of the analytics platform as a data engineering and data science tool. It’s no surprise that after the event, I welcomed over 100 new members to the community.
Leading the KNIME Data Literacy Program
As part of our vision for users in 2023, we launched the data literacy program. For many black data professionals, knowledge of the basis of data is a critical factor for successfully interpreting valuable insights. As I lead this cohort, I see the dedication of the community members.
Hopes for the Future
There is great potential for the African Knime community to leverage the power of the Knime platform to solve pressing challenges. Knime can allow African scientists, engineers, and other professionals to analyse data, create visualisations, and develop predictive models. With the support of the Knime community and the resources available, African professionals can use Knime to create innovative solutions to some of the most pressing challenges in their countries. Knime can also be used to develop data-driven applications that can be used to improve the lives of African citizens. In the future, the African Knime community can look forward to a vibrant and connected network of professionals collaborating to solve the world’s most pressing problems.