Building Africa’s data science capacity for modern biology

The first workshop in the Data Science for Biology Workshop Series for the year – Reproducible Data Analysis in R – was recently held in Durban from 1 to 5 June 2026, led by Afrah Khairallah, supported by a collaboration of partners including SANTHE, the Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI) (where Khairallah is based), Ragon Institute, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and Washington University in St. Louis. It brought together early-career researchers, students and research staff from across Africa to strengthen skills in reproducible data analysis and modern computational research.

Participants received hands-on training in R programming, data organisation, visualisation and reproducible research workflows. The programme also explored the rapidly evolving role of artificial intelligence and agentic coding in biological research, highlighting how these tools are transforming the way scientists analyse data and generate insights. “The tools have changed; the real question now is who is trained to use them,” said Khairallah, underscoring the importance of building local expertise in data science.

Beyond technical training, the workshop fostered peer learning, collaboration and discussions on how African researchers can take a leading role in computationally enabled biomedical research. As the first in a broader training series, the initiative reflects a shared commitment by AHRI, SANTHE and their partners to advancing African-led bioinformatics, reproducible research and sustainable data science capacity for the future.