Lightning talk on "The State of Africa’s Data Governance for Statistical Interoperability in the Age of AI"
There is increasing acknowledgement within public governance circles that effective evidence-based governance hinges on implementing diverse and innovative policy tools as well as access to a comprehensive array of high-value data sets. From a national statistics system (NSS) perspective, high-value data encompasses interoperable, meticulously collected, rigorously analysed, machine-readable, and accurately interpreted to provide insights into various aspects of a nation's socioeconomic landscape.
However, for the public sector, the effectiveness of these efforts hinges on the interoperability of statistical data across diverse systems and platforms. In the age of artificial intelligence (AI), where data-driven insights are critical for addressing complex socio-economic challenges, the need for robust data governance frameworks for statistical interoperability and modernisation of NSS is more pronounced than ever.
On 14 November 2024, the DepHUB's Shamira Ahmed presented a lightning talk at the UN World Data Forum. The talk was part of the thematic area, TA4 - Effective partnerships for better data and a more equitable data ecosystem.
The talk was based on a forthcoming policy paper on "The State of Africa’s Data Governance for Statistical Interoperability in the Age of AI."
The research is made possible by a grant from the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) collaborative research project on "The Political Economy and Institutional Structure of Data Policy and Governance in Africa: Opportunities, Challenges and Risks" (Data Governance Phase II).