From Data to Decisions: Building Simple Machine Learning Models with Python

Machine Learning is transforming industries, but many developers find it difficult to get started due to complex theory and overwhelming tools.

This session provides a practical and beginner-friendly introduction to Machine Learning using Python. We’ll break down key concepts and demonstrate how to build a simple predictive model step-by-step using popular libraries like pandas, scikit-learn, and matplotlib.

Participants will learn how to:

Prepare and clean data
Train a basic machine learning model
Evaluate performance
Interpret results for real-world decision-making

We’ll focus on real-world use cases relevant to Africa, such as health, finance, or education, making the learning experience relatable and impactful.

Mastering Object-Oriented Programming in Python: Writing Clean, Scalable, and Pythonic Code

Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) is one of the most powerful paradigms in Python, yet many developers struggle to apply it effectively in real-world projects. This session will provide a practical and intuitive approach to understanding OOP in Python, focusing on how to write clean, maintainable, and scalable code.

We will explore core OOP concepts such as classes, objects, inheritance, encapsulation, and polymorphism, and go beyond theory by demonstrating how these principles are used in real applications. Attendees will learn best practices, common pitfalls to avoid, and how to design Python programs that are both efficient and easy to extend.

Whether you're a beginner trying to grasp OOP or an intermediate developer looking to improve your coding structure, this talk will equip you with actionable knowledge to level up your Python skills.

Building Scalable Web Applications with Django: From Basics to Production

Django is one of the most powerful and widely used Python web frameworks, trusted for building secure and scalable applications. However, many developers only scratch the surface of what Django can truly offer.

In this session, we’ll take a practical journey from the fundamentals of Django to building production-ready web applications. Attendees will learn how Django’s “batteries-included” approach accelerates development while enforcing best practices.

We’ll cover:

Django project structure and architecture
Models, views, and templates (MVT pattern)
Building RESTful APIs with Django REST Framework
Authentication and security best practices
Scaling and deploying Django applications

Through a real-world example, participants will see how to design and structure a Django application that is clean, maintainable, and ready for growth.

Building Scalable FinTech APIs with Django: Lessons from the Field

This session explores how to design and build scalable, secure, and production-ready FinTech APIs using Django and Django REST Framework. Drawing from real-world experience as a CTO working on financial systems, the talk goes beyond basic tutorials to address the architectural and operational challenges that arise in FinTech environments.

We will walk through how to structure Django applications for high reliability, implement safe transaction handling, and design APIs that can scale under load. The session will also cover best practices for ensuring data integrity, handling concurrency, and avoiding common pitfalls in financial applications.

Attendees will gain practical insights into building backend systems that meet the demands of modern FinTech products, with a focus on performance, maintainability, and security.

From WSGI to ASGI: Modernizing Django with Daphne and Uvicorn

Django has long relied on WSGI as the standard interface for deploying Python web applications, powering millions of traditional synchronous web services. But as modern applications increasingly demand real-time communication, WebSockets, long-lived connections, and async processing, ASGI has become the next evolution in Python web deployment.

This talk introduces the transition from WSGI to ASGI in Django, explaining why ASGI matters, how it enables asynchronous capabilities, and what changes developers need to understand when moving to an async-ready architecture. We will explore the roles of Daphne and Uvicorn as ASGI servers, comparing their strengths, deployment considerations, and how they integrate with Django Channels to power real-time applications such as notifications, chats, and live balance updates.

Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of the differences between WSGI and ASGI, when to use Daphne or Uvicorn, and how to deploy modern Django applications capable of handling both traditional HTTP requests and WebSocket connections efficiently.

For years, Django applications were served through WSGI, a reliable interface designed for synchronous request-response workflows. While effective for traditional web applications, WSGI falls short when handling modern requirements such as WebSockets, background streaming, and asynchronous workloads.

ASGI extends Django beyond these limitations by introducing support for asynchronous communication patterns while preserving compatibility with standard HTTP applications. This session will provide an introduction to WSGI, outline the motivations behind ASGI, and demonstrate how Django leverages ASGI to support real-time features through Django Channels.

We will also compare two popular ASGI servers—Daphne, the reference server for Django Channels, and Uvicorn, a high-performance ASGI server optimized for speed—highlighting practical deployment patterns, performance considerations, and use cases for each.

Whether you are maintaining legacy Django deployments or building real-time systems, this talk will provide practical guidance for adopting ASGI in production and understanding the infrastructure choices behind modern Django applications.

Target audience: Django developers transitioning from traditional deployments to real-time or asynchronous architectures
Level: Intermediate
Includes practical deployment comparisons between Daphne and Uvicorn
Demonstrates real-world Django use cases such as WebSockets, notifications, and live updates
Suitable for backend engineers interested in scaling Django applications for modern async workloads