Africa Open Data Conference 2017

The phenomenon of open data is sweeping across the globe and across Africa. Throughout the continent there are many initiatives to scale up the availability of data to hold leaders to account, make more informed decisions and demand better services. This sounds very promising, but can and do these open data initiatives really help civil society, private sector and academics in Africa to launch new ventures, analyse trends and solve complex problems? Last week I attended The Africa Open Data Conference in Accra, Ghana to discover the opportunities and challenges of open data in Africa. The theme for this second edition was open data for sustainable development. Here are my main highs and lows of the conference. Continue reading