The GODAN Action Webinar series address the need for capacity building among data users, producers and intermediaries to engage effectively with open data in the agriculture and nutrition sectors.
This webinar will focus on the use of open data to inform decision-making on sustainable development in Africa.
In Africa, the role of data, and more specifically open data, in informing national investment plans and associated multi-stakeholder consultations has been a clear part of the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Program (CAADP) with the African Union working with partners to put in place a Regional Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System (ReSAKSS) on the continent for this purpose. As implementation of CAADP's current results framework enters its third year and the SDGs become mainstreamed in national agriculture strategies, it is now more important than ever to ensure stakeholders have access to the data and information that would allow them to participate in decision-making and hold each other to account.
Open data in agriculture and nutrition allows African governments to punch far above their weight by leveraging the wisdom of national experts in proposing adjustments to strategies and policies and also empowering stakeholders to design, implement and scale interventions that contribute to national targets. However, this requires the sharing of more data and information than that which is available from the national level SAKSS. It also requires, in some instances, changes to how data and information are managed, curated and shared within the public sector and beyond. How do we start strengthening open data initiatives to respond to this emerging reality and what would a roadmap look like?
Presenter: Muchiri Nyaggah, Executive Director– Local Development Research Institute
Muchiri has worked in technology and innovation consulting for twenty years, six of which focusing on open data and open government in Africa as a driver for improved development outcomes. He has keen interest in the implementation of Africa’s development agenda, its impact and how developmental states can deliver better outcomes for Africa's people.
The Local Development Research Institute (LDRI) is an action-oriented think tank supporting efforts of African Union member states to end extreme poverty, end hunger and reduce inequalities. LDRI’s work is focused on the role of agricultural transformation in these efforts, especially the capability of states to have available to them, and share openly, data and statistics for decision-making.