The 2020 Open Data Day forum
focused on the theme: ‘Leveraging public
domain satellite and drone imagery to track deforestation and water pollution
in West Africa’

Over thirty people from various
organisations in Accra participated in the event which took place at the Kofi
Annan ICT Center in Accra.

Mr. Asante Sabrah of Linux Accra, and lecturer at GIMPA, was a guest speaker at the forum emphasized the importance of public domain satellite data in driving the conversation about climate change in West Africa.

Policy expert and co-founder of
iWatch Africa, Mr. Henry Kyeremeh also delivered a presentation highlighting
the negative effects of Climate Change on West Africa.

Mr. Kyeremeh stressed that, “the empirical
evidence is quite strong on the impact climate change is having on developing
countries especially in West Africa. Noticeable among are droughts, reduction
in crop yields, unpredictable rainfall pattern which in many instances causes
havoc etc. (getdelmar.com) ”

Using Lake Chad as a case study, Mr. Kyeremeh said: “the Chad River which has shrank by circa 90 percent since 1973 is a typical example of what climate change and water mismanagement is doing in West Africa.”

He called for innovative solutions and policy making to address this global threat.

“Without doing anything, the situation could be much dire and therefore, domestic and international policy making must respond to mitigating climate change impact by encouraging new technologies for adaption, increase resource allocation and increase research and innovation.”

Gideon Sarpong, Policy and News director of iWatch Africa also led a session on the day with focus on how the interactive satellite data platform managed by the Global Forest Watch could be used to track deforestation and afforestation in West Africa and aid in innovative media reportage.

iWatch Africa also used the forum to officially join the World Economic Forum (WEF) 1 Trillion Tree Initiative to help nature and fight climate change.

As part of our climate action, iWatch Africa will collaborate with several organisations including the WEF to plant 5000 trees in Ghana in the next five years.

Credit: iwatchafrica.org

The post iWatch Africa marks 2020 Open Data Day in Ghana with focus on Climate Action appeared first on iWatch Africa.

Kindly fill the google link here: https://cutt.ly/nr4fUy2

The post Call For Participants: iWatch Africa’s 2020 Open Data Day Forum appeared first on iWatch Africa.

Mr. Sarpong, who delivered a short presentation on the theme ‘How open data and technology can reduce violence and discrimination against women and girls’ as part of the 2019 Open Data Day forum, insisted that DOVVSU and MoGCSP are not doing enough to drive the conversation about “violence and discrimination if they hold on to data” which can be used by civil society in their advocacy work.

This year’s Open Data Day was marked last Saturday in Accra as part of a global effort to promote transparency and accountability and value creation by insisting that data should be made available to all.

“Why doesn’t the ministry have the relevant data or reports published on their website? Why should it be difficult for the DOVSSU to publish their annual reports?” Mr. Sarpong asked.

“This information is vital in addressing the challenge faced by our mothers and sisters when it comes to violence against women. It is not enough to gather data or prepare reports and keep them in your office cabinets. We must all be committed to promoting transparency and accountability,” he added.

UN Women in their 2018 report revealed that out of the 15 million adolescents who experienced forced sex, data gathered from 30 countries showed that less than one percent ever sought professional help.

Mr. Sarpong promised to launch an interactive data explorer as part of iWatch Africa’s broader effort to deal with Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) and called on all civil society organizations in the SGBV sector and men to work together to protect women and girls in the country.

“Every day we hear stories of rape and violence against women and girls. We as men have a great responsibility to deconstruct the negative patriarchal mind-sets and help ensure that those human ‘predators’ are brought to justice in this country. We cannot afford to remain silent in the face evident threat against the women in this country. We all have a role to speak up and help others,” Mr. Sarpong stated.

Credit: iWatchafrica.org

The post Open Data Day: iWatch Africa criticizes DOVVSU & MoGCSP over failure to publish data on violence and discrimination against women appeared first on iWatch Africa.

There is increasing recognition that violence against women is a major barrier to the fulfillment of human rights, and a direct challenge to women’s inclusion and participation in sustainable development and sustaining peace. Ghana will not achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development if this problem persists.

The event which is being organised by iWatch Africa is supported by United Kingdom Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Open Knowledge International and Hivos will focus on How Technology can Open Data on Violence and Discrimination against Women in Ghana to promote Equal Development in Ghana.

The conference will equip participants to appreciate the importance of technology and Open Data in deepening the fight against violence and discrimination against women and girls.

Participants will also be trained on how to use data visualization to tell effective stories. Certificates will be given to all participants.

Venue: YALI RLC GIMPA, Accra

Date: Friday, March 1^st, 2019

To participate in the event, kindly call Call 0244010100 or 0240791865 or send an email to info@iwatchafrica.org to reserve a seat.

The post Register for the 2019 International Open Data Day Conference appeared first on iWatch Africa.

Seizing opportunities

Electronic commerce is growing in all parts of the world. But many developing countries remain relatively unprepared for the shift from offline to online trade. Indeed, less than 5% of the population in most of these economies buy goods and services online.

The digital economy is bringing new risks along with opportunities, and emerging technologies such as advanced robotics, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, cloud computing and 3D printing are disrupting economies and societies.

Governments must therefore move quickly to address the internet economy’s effects on the labour market, trade rules, data privacy, and consumer protection, to name but a few.

“To design and implement evidence-based policies, governments need to know the facts and have access to relevant statistics,” Ms. Sirimanne says. “And the more frequently governments collect this data, the better they can identify trends and adjust policies accordingly.”

Unfortunately, according to UNCTAD statistics, the availability of data drops with the country’s level of development, meaning those least prepared for the digital economy have the least amount of information on which to base their policy decisions.

“The risk is a further widening of inequalities across countries,” Ms. Sirimanne says.

What needs to be done?

According to UNCTAD, several actions are urgently needed to ensure that governments have access to the relevant statistics they need to take sound decisions related to the digital economy.

Governments need to include enterprise surveys on ICT use in their national statistical plans. In addition, the international community should offer more assistance to help countries make progress on data collection. And opportunities need to be created for developing countries to engage in an international dialogue related to data collection and analysis, to support policy making related to this topic.

Governments, the international development community, civil society organizations and businesses have the opportunity to discuss related actions at UNCTAD’s Intergovernmental Group of Experts on E-commerce and the Digital Economy, which will meet from 18 to 20 April during UNCTAD’s E-Commerce Week.

At the group’s first meeting, in October 2017, experts proposed to establish a new working group dedicated to measuring e-commerce and the digital economy, in order to help address the emerging data requirements of policy-makers in this area, and to ensure that international statistical work on the digital economy is directly linked to their policy needs. This proposal will be further discussed at next month’s meeting.

Read Also: Teenage Smokers: How Ghana’s low excise tax on cigarette encourage the deadly habit

The post Digital economy data gap risks widening inequalities- UNCTAD appeared first on iWatch Africa.

The report is part of the event report series on International Open Data Day 2018. On Saturday 3rd March, groups from around the world organised over 288 events to celebrate, promote and spread the use of open data. Within key area “Follow the money”, 17 events received additional support through the Open Knowledge International mini-grants scheme, funded by Hivos and Open Knowledge International.

Context

iWatch Africa in Ghana sought to create awareness and train student journalists on the use of data journalism tools and new media to track government budget. Fifty student journalists were selected across the country to mark the event in Ghana.

The iWatch Data Day event focused on four main themes;

• Introduction theme- The importance of Open Data in deepening democracy in Ghana
• Effective use of data journalism tools to track government budget in Ghana
• Training on how to use data visualization and to tell effective stories
• Open Forum- How can data journalists harness the power of the new media to promote transparency and accountability in Africa.

In Bogota (Colombia), we developed a hackathon, called #AlimenData, focused on following and visualizing public money associated with School Feeding National Program of Colombia through a co-creation process where different actors were involved.

#AlimenData was performed in conjunction with public sector and civil society. In this hackathon participated the National Secretary for Transparency, Ministry of Finance and Public Credit, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Open Contracting Partnership, and Open Knowledge Colombia.

Thirty six teams were registered, from which ten multi-disciplinary and high-motivated groups (composed of twenty-seven participants in total) were selected across the country in order to develop their ideas. These teams were composed of different actors (citizens, academia, social actors, local governments, etc.).

Challenges

The major obstacle to the Open Data campaign in Ghana has to do with government’s reluctance to pass the Right to Information Bill after 17 years of active campaign.

Among the major challenges identified by iWatch Africa has to do with access to relevant accounts and financial reports. In some cases, accurate expenditure/transfer records do not exist at all.

Here CSOs continue to play an important role putting pressure on the government in collaboration with the media, local service providers and/or users and the public.

The #AlimenData event was revolved around two main challenges for hacking the School Feeding National Program ofColombia. On the one hand, how to identify inconsistencies and/or chances within this National Program in order to follow and optimize public funding? (pragermetis.com) And, on the other hand, how to encourage interest of citizens, researchers and media for taking part in the control process of this National Program?

In order to encourage these challenges, we suggested different open data related to School Feeding National Program, from which some datasets were proposed as mandatory ones (datasets related to public funding), and other optional ones were suggested (e.g.: datasets associated with population, education, food prices, etc.). Next, we list several of the suggested open data:

• Public funding (mandatory datasets)
  • Economic Transparency portal
  • Public contracting (SECOP I & II)

• Statistics and Indicators data (optional datasets)
  • Education I & II
  • Population
  • Food prices
  • Territorial data/indicators at different levels of detail

Methodology

iWatch Africa marked the Open Data Day event in Accra by officially issuing a call for participation with specific emphasis on student journalists. Our focus was to create awareness and train student journalists on the use of data journalism tools and new media to track government budget.

Gideon Sarpong, iWatch Africa’s Director of Policy and Content Analysis who delivered a speech on the main theme emphasized the importance of Open Data in addressing the challenge of corruption in Africa.

“Open Data in governance is critical to addressing corruption in Ghana as well as developing effective policy reforms and an efficient public sector. It is in the interest of public institutions to join in the open data initiative and actively take steps to open up,” Mr. Sarpong stated.

Resource person, Justice Kumordzi addressed the theme; Effective use of Data Journalism tools to effectively track government expenditure/budget in Ghana. Mr. Kumordzi focused on the vital role of data journalism in detecting bottlenecks, inefficiencies and/or corruption in the transfer of public goods and resources. He also noted that open data is a key tool for the government and civil society organizations (CSO) to guard against corruption and work towards ensuring a transparent, accountable and effective public financial management.

Banini Kwasi Phillip, Communication Director of iWatch Africa also addressed the theme; The use of Data visualization to tell effective stories. Mr. Phillip demonstrated how various data visualisation tool and systems play an important role to enrich one’s story.

His presentation focused on the different methods of data presentation emphasizing the text, graphic and tabular forms of presentations.

After a practical session of his presentation, participants held on open forum on the theme; How can data journalists harness the power of the new media to promote transparency and accountability in Africa.

Open Knowledge Colombia in conjunction with National Secretary for Transparency, Ministry of Finance and Public Credit, Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies, and Open Contracting Partnership prepared a complete agenda for the #AlimenData hackathon.

In this scenario, we had the participation of different mentors, which talked about the School Feeding National Program, open data, data cleansing, software developing, visualization, and storytelling. These talks, which were complementary with hacking sessions, helped knowing more deeply our context (School Feeding National Program), the selected datasets, and various techniques and tools. Furthermore, our collaborators accompanied and advised to each group when during all the hackathon.

Besides these talks, the participants of the hackathon had a chance to participate in a rehearsal session, where each group presented their preliminary proposals during 3 minutes. In this session different teams received feedback from mentors and organizers. Furthermore, different teams also received feedback from members of other teams, performing a collective co-creation process. This process allowed mutual enriching, since teams exchanged useful and multi-disciplinary viewpoints.

The point of convergence between the two organisation’s methodology had to do with data visualisation as an important tool to tell effective stories. While #AlimenData hackathon focused on software developing, visualization, iWatch Africa also focused on practical sessions on three key forms of data visualisation, which include; text, graphic and tabular forms of presentations.

Conclusions

Participants during the open forum resolved to focus on four key themes in 2018 as part of their effort to drive the open data conversation to make meaningful impact in policy making decisions in Ghana.

These include;

1. Critical focus on the passage of the Right to information bill
2. Procurement- Focus on open data regarding procurement contracts in Ghana
3. Focus on employment data in Ghana
4. Open government data

The 2018 International Open Data Day conference organized by iWatch Africa is also part of the larger goal of launching the iProcurement Watch initiative mid- 2018.

On the other hand, different teams addressed the two main challenges that we proposed in the #AlimenData hackathon. Thus, teams presented various proposals at the end of the Open Data Day. Next we highlight some ones:

• An application for monitoring and reporting dietary and nutritional supplements.
• A platform for monitoring the delivery of food portions.
• A web platform for integrating different datasets related to School Feeding National Program of Colombia.
• A tool for visualizing characteristics associated with contracting process of this National Program.

The organizers of this hackathon chose one project as winner. The selected one proposed an email service for communicating to parents the menu of each week using Open Data and blockchain technology. This proposal allows that parents can monitor and report the existing differences between the contracted menu in the context of School Feeding National Program of Colombia and the menu received for their children (students).

The work on the projects that has been started during Open Data Day will continue, since we are working with Ministry of Education in Colombia in order to develop some of these prototypes and to improve School Feeding National Program of Colombia. 

Read Also: Full report with pictures

Authors:

Gideon Sarpong, iWatch Africa

Luis M. Vliches-Blazquez, Open Knowledge Colombia

The post Open Data Day: A joint report by iWatch Africa and Open Knowledge Colombia appeared first on iWatch Africa.

The event brought several journalists from across the country to discuss the role and importance of Open Data in strengthening the democratic process in Ghana.

Gideon Sarpong, iWatch Africa’s Director of Policy and Content Analysis who delivered a speech on the main theme emphasized the importance of Open Data in addressing the challenge of corruption in Africa.

“Open Data in governance is critical to addressing corruption in Ghana as well as developing effective policy reforms and an efficient public sector. It is in the interest of public institutions to join in the open data initiative and actively take steps to open up,” Mr. Sarpong stated.

Resource person, Justice Kumordzi addressed the theme; Effective use of Data Journalism tools to effectively track government expenditure/budget in Ghana. Mr, Kumordzi focused on the vital role of data journalism in detecting bottlenecks, inefficiencies and/or corruption in the transfer of public goods and resources. He also noted that Open Data is a key tool for the government and civil society organizations (CSO) to guard against corruption and work towards ensuring a transparent, accountable and effective public financial management.

Banini Kwasi Phillip, Communication Director of iWatch Africa also addressed the theme; The use of Data visualization to tell effective stories. Mr. Phillip demonstrated how various data visualisation tool and systems play an important role to enrich one’s story.

His presentation focused on the different methods of data presentation emphasizing the text, graphic and tabular forms of presentations.

After a practical session of his presentation, participants held on open forum on the theme; How can data journalists harness the power of the new media to promote transparency and accountability in Africa.

Participants also resolved to focus on four key themes in 2018 as part of their effort to drive the open data conversation to make meaningful impact in policy making in Ghana.

These include;

1. Critical focus on the Right to information bill
2. Procurement- Focus on Open contract
3. Focus on employment data in Ghana
4. Open government data

The 2018 International Open Data Day conference organized by iWatch Africa is also part of the larger goal of launching the iProcurement Watch initiative before the close of the year.

Below are some pictures:

The post iWatch Africa marks International Open Data Day 2018 appeared first on iWatch Africa.

Invitation to the 2018 International Open Data Day Conference on 3rd March, 2018 : The importance of Open Data in deepening democracy in Ghana.

The event which is being organised by iWatch Africa is sponsored by Open Data and Hivos and will focus on the ongoing initiative: Leveraging the Power of Data Journalism to track government promises in Ghana (Budget Watch).

The conference will equip participants to appreciate the importance of Open Data in deepening democracy and use of data journalism tools to track government budget. Participants will also be trained on how to use data visualization to tell effective stories.

The post Register for the 2018 International Open Data Day Conference appeared first on iWatch Africa.