Data Science at the service of the gospel: seminar at PSU Yaoundé

In preparation for the 59^th national youth festival under the theme "Youth, Maturity and Responsibility", the International Christian Missionary Community, spiritual province of academics, organized an innovative seminar on February 8, 2025 at PSU Yaoundé. The event combined evangelism and Data Science, exploring professions in the field and their challenges in the face of artificial intelligence.

Participants discovered Data Science as a discipline for extracting knowledge from massive data, characterized by the 5Vs of Big Data: Volume, Speed, Variety, Veracity and Value. The seminar presented the diversity of professions in the sector – Data Analyst, Data Scientist, Data Engineer, Machinelearning Engineer, Business Analyst, Marketing Analyst; each requiring specific skills.

The concrete applications of Data Science have been illustrated in different areas:

Health: analysis of medical data, identification of risk factors, recommendation of treatments
E-commerce: analysis of customer behavior, product recommendation systems
Marketing: evaluation of the effectiveness of campaigns, customer segmentation
Transport: traffic analysis, intelligent navigation
Finance: investment optimization, fraud detection

Pastor Joseph Ngandeu offered an original spiritual reflection, establishing a parallel between Data Science and Divine Judgment. He presented God as the “Supreme Data Scientist”, who accurately records the thoughts, actions and motivations of every human being. Drawing on Daniel 7:10 and Revelation 20:12, he spoke of the “heavenly books” where our works are recorded.

Continuing this metaphor, the pastor described Jesus Christ as “the supreme algorithm”, the only one capable of erasing negative data and inscribing in the book of life those who turn towards him. He recalled John 3:13, emphasizing that faith in Christ allows one to be purified and recorded in this book for eternity.

The seminar concluded with a discussion on the challenges of AI for Data Science: data quality, evolving skills, ethical issues and automation. The speakers underlined the importance for young people to train, develop transversal skills, deepen their ethical thinking and open up to the world.

This meeting inspired the young participants to consider the opportunities offered by the Data Science and AI professions. To God all the glory for this seminar and its impact. Experience some photos taken by the communications department of PSU Yaoundé.