"If she did it, I can do it too": an interview with data expert Charly Minlang-Bekale

In a Gabon undergoing digital transition, some figures drive innovation with rare strength. Among them, Charly MINLANG-BEKALE Ep. DYEL holds a special place. An engineer from the oil sector, a Data Science specialist and winner of the "Woman in AI and Data Science 2024" award at the DigieWomen Awards, she has become one of the most influential voices in the national tech ecosystem.

Having travelled specially from Port-Gentil, she made her mark on the 2025 edition of the GT LAB TOUR, a Moov Africa Gabon Telecom initiative run in partnership with DigieWomen School, by sharing her expertise in Big Data, a strategic field at the heart of the country's digital transformation. In this exclusive interview, DIWA Mag takes you into the journey and vision of a woman shaping Gabon's digital future with rigour, passion and commitment.

How would you describe the importance of Big Data in Gabon's current professional context?

Gabon is at an important digital turning point. Companies accumulate data, but very few really make use of it. Big Data makes it possible to improve governance, optimise costs, automate complex tasks, increase transparency and make decisions based on facts rather than intuition.

It is a strategic tool that can transform entire sectors: oil and gas, education, finance, healthcare, logistics, public administration, and more.

What advice would you give to a beginner who wants to get serious about data science?

For Data Analysis, you need a practical, business-oriented approach. Excel (data cleaning, pivot tables, charts), Power BI or Tableau, essential statistics (mean, median, variance, correlation), and data storytelling. Mindset: rigour and analytical sense.

For Data Science, you need essential foundations: mathematics (statistics, probability, linear algebra), Python and SQL, and an understanding of algorithms (regression, classification, clustering). Mindset: experimentation, curiosity, documentation, deep understanding.

As winner of the "Woman in AI and Data Science 2024" award, how do you see your role as a model for young women in the field?

I don't see myself as a role model in the traditional sense, but rather as concrete proof that it is possible: that Gabonese women can have their place in science, in innovation, in AI, and in every field where they are not always expected.

If my journey can encourage a young woman to believe a little more in herself, to pursue scientific studies, to dare a career in digital or simply not to limit herself, then that is a great joy for me.

I simply hope that every young woman can say to herself: "If she did it, then I can do it too, and maybe even go further."