On Thursday, December 18, 2025, the Natview Foundation for Technology Innovation (NFTI) convened members of its Data Management Community of Practice (CoP) for an end-of-year meetup that brought together data professionals and volunteers, including its Longitudinal Study Data Champions and the Data Science Fellowship Program Alumni Network, in a shared space for learning, reflection, collaboration, and celebration.
Held at the Click-On Data Campus in Kaduna, the meetup served as a moment to pause and reflect on a year of growth while strengthening relationships across the community. It was designed not as a formal conference but as a community gathering where young people could learn from one another, exchange experiences, and reconnect around a shared commitment to using data for social good.
A significant highlight of the meetup was the series of technical and knowledge-sharing sessions that brought learning, reflection, and creativity into the room. The sessions were designed to be practical, reflective, and interactive, allowing participants to learn from real work while actively contributing their experiences.
The technical sessions opened with a reflective deep dive into the NFTI Longitudinal Study on Health Facility Readiness, led by our Senior Program Officer, Data Analytics, Fatima Tafoki, who guided participants through the study’s findings, impact, and progress. The session also doubled as a moment of recognition, celebrating the milestone contributions of Data Champions who have played critical roles in field data collection, validation, and sustained engagement with the study. This reflection helped participants connect the dots between consistent data work and long-term impact.
Building on this, our Data Analyst, Bashir Abdulraheem, facilitated an engaging session titled “Using Large Language Models (LLMs) to Create Exciting Portfolios,” with a strong focus on mastering prompt engineering. Participants explored how emerging AI tools can be used to document projects, tell clearer data stories, and showcase skills more effectively for professional growth. The ‘Prompt Battle’ ignited the room as participants tested their newly acquired prompt-engineering skills in a fast-paced, interactive challenge.
As part of the technical segments, Bolaji Oladapo, a data analyst at NFTI, took participants behind the scenes in a session titled “From Data Collection to Storytelling,” unpacking the often unseen journey of data from the field to final insights. The session highlighted the importance of documentation, context, and communication in ensuring that data collected at the community level translates into meaningful stories that inform decisions and drive action.
The meetup also created space for informal networking and storytelling, allowing participants to share personal journeys, lessons learned from fieldwork, and moments of impact from the year.
Adding to the day’s energy were entertaining, interactive games that captured the community’s vibrancy.
As the year comes to a close, the meetup marked a transition into the next phase of collaboration. Members were encouraged to stay engaged, continue sharing knowledge, and participate in upcoming initiatives that will further strengthen the community and its impact.
The NFTI Community of Practice remains a growing platform where collaboration leads to action and community drives sustainable social change.
