Sprint AI Training for African Medical Imaging Knowledge Translation
From science
to practice
Building Africa's next generation of medical AI experts.
We train a new generation of African AI experts in medical imaging who can train others, turning AI knowledge into action through case-based, interdisciplinary learning.
Welcome
Welcome to SPARK Academy
Designed for sustainability
SPARK builds skills step by step, from a foundational course to a hackathon, a practicum and SPARK Next, so that graduates go on to train others and the knowledge stays local.
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Capacity building
Centred on capacity building and solving local problems
The need
The need for skilled AI training
25–40%
of the global disease burden falls on Africa and other low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), which have the fewest medical imaging resources. There is a critical gap in the interdisciplinary AI skills needed to turn imaging data into clinical tools.
Current training often lacks local context. SPARK closes this gap by focusing on medical imaging processing and AI programming for local clinical needs.
90% of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) children die from cancer while 85% survive in high-income countries (HICs).
44–50%
of the SSA population is under 18 years old.
1 in 3 children born today are in Africa.
The challenge
Barriers to closing healthcare gaps
Four barriers surround one central problem: few to no Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS).
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Infrastructure
Poor access to imaging technologies (density of MRI, CT, radiology, x-ray and ultrasound in Africa compared to high-income countries).
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Computational resources
Low capacity and few resources, including servers and high-speed network connectivity.
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Personnel
Availability of skilled paediatric radiologists, subspecialty training, and awareness of AI and AI competence.
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Datasets
Few open, annotated datasets.
Our approach
Train the trainer strategy
SPARK uses a case-based curriculum and a train-the-trainer model to give free access to hands-on skill development, so that knowledge stays local and keeps spreading.
See the programme-
Train-the-trainer
Top graduates return as team leads and mentors for the next cohort.
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Free to attend
SPARK is a free, hands-on, case-based training programme.
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Real African imaging data
Teams apply what they learn to local problems, using real African imaging data.
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A growing network
Trainees, mentors and graduates stay connected, and graduates come back as mentors for new cohorts.
In their own words
What our community says
This journey has been more than just a learning experience — it's been a season of growth, collaboration, and discovery.
Being part of this initiative was an incredible experience, exploring the intersection of artificial intelligence and medical imaging.
I now feel much more confident about conducting research at the intersection of AI and medicine, particularly medical imaging.
This milestone would not have been possible without the immense support from... SPARK Academy and CAMERA MRI Africa.
Through SPARK Academy, I am strengthening these skills while learning how to develop and critically evaluate emerging AI tools.
[SPARK Academy provided] an environment that helped me develop further in AI and medical imaging.
Thank you so much SPARK Academy for giving me the privilege to participate in this year's cohort.
This journey has been amazing—filled with learning, growth, and collaboration.
Grateful to the mentors, organizers, and fellow participants for this transformative experience!
As the lead programmer of my team, I was pushed to level up my DL knowledge quickly.
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SPARK in numbers
A growing pan-African network
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Trainees
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Countries reached
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9
Physical training sites
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46
Awards and recognitions
Partners and funders
Built with a global community
Our footprint
Where SPARK participants come from
The map fills in as each cohort's records are added.
Ready to build the future of AI in medical imaging?
Learn it, build it, and teach it, with clinicians and scientists across Africa.