By Omar Bah
The Data for Governance Alliance (D4GA) series of regional stakeholder engagements ended on a high note in Nairobi, with Ambassador Salah Hammad, Head of the African Union (AU) African Governance Architecture (AGA) Secretariat, underscoring the importance of the data in shaping policies. “As we go with this process of building Africa we want, data has become extremely important in making policies and decisions that are in favor of building the continent and also promoting good governance, democracy, and the rule of law,” he told participants at the European Union- funded D4GA convening.
The convening focuses on equipping pan-African CSOs with data-driven tools and knowledge to collaborate effectively with the African Union’s African Governance Architecture and national governments. “The Data for Governance Alliance stakeholder convening coincides with the African Union’s efforts to strengthen democracy and good governance, and we benefit from all the knowledge and skills this partnership provides,” Hammad said.
The stakeholder engagement in Nairobi, the final in a series of regional convenings in 2023, offered hands-on training in data analysis, data-based advocacy, and effective communications to pan-African Civil Society Organizations (CSOs). It is themed “Enhancing Governance, democracy, and Human Rights in Africa: Empowering pan-African Civil Society to Use Data to Enhance Advocacy Effectively. In his keynote address, Brian Kagoro, Managing Director of Programmes at Open Society Foundations, urged participants to champion data-driven policies in Africa. “Policies in Africa should be evidence-based- and data-driven. Data is key in controlling the narrative and direction of policy debate. We cannot continue relying on data generated outside the continent. It is time for Africa to generate its data,” Karogo said. Participants engaged with the Afrobarometer online data analysis tool and the AfricanLii platform that houses thousands of legal documents from the African Union. This practical experience has informed advocacy campaigns addressing critical issues, including youth empowerment, climate change, unconstitutional government changes, elections, and child welfare.
Karuti Kanyinga, Director of the Institute for Development Studies, charged the CSO representatives to leverage good quality data to enhance their advocacy efforts. “We have data that speak perfect realities about Africa, and we need to use them to appeal to the conscience of our leaders for them to make choices and better interventions on governance, development, democracy, and human rights,” he urged.
The convening brought together representatives from pan-African CSOs and four African Union organs – the African Peer Review Mechanism, the African Union Advisory Board Against Corruption, the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights, and the Economic, Social and Cultural Council. This year, the D4GA has trained 60 CSO representatives in data analysis and advocacy in South Africa, Ghana, and Kenya.
