Opening up data is critical to Africa’s advancement - UNECA

Africa must bring together diverse data community to use dynamic technology to help fix the problems of Africa, it must be the new biggest revolution that is coming from the Chief Data Tech Section of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa( UNECA) Dozie Ezigbalike.

In an interview with Business Insider Sub Saharan Africaon the sidelines of the Africa's 2nd Open Data Conference in Accra, he said it is high time the continent looked beyond mere statistics due to its limitations but rather open up data revolution system in the various ecosystem

According to him, economic transformation through the use and deployment of ICTs is rapidly becoming the norm and Africa as a continent must develop strategies to accelerate and sustain our own digital revolution. The generation analysis and efficient use of data for planning and development are central to digitisation efforts.

He adds that data has become a commodity with major socio- economic value and we cannot develop without harnessing the potential of data for growth and wealth creation.

Furthermore, the Chief Data representative underscored the importance of open data in delivering quality services to citizens, adding that Ghana will take a leading role in open data in the West Africa Sub-Region.

“I think the decision has already been taken that we will not only be part of it, but we will take the lead and show the way in the sub-region”.

He believes that ‘there are various building blocks that we need to put in place to ensure that we generate usable data so that application developers, academics, researchers and ordinary citizens can get the information that they need from their government’.

“it will also help make government more accountable to the people. So people don’t sit on information and think it is their personal property and you need to know some big persons before you can get information or even information about yourself.”

The data expert explains that the modern era is marked by growing faith in the power of data. “Big data”, “open data”, and “evidence-based decision-making” have become buzzwords, touted as solutions to the world’s most complex and persistent problems.

While perhaps most pronounced in higher income countries, this trend is now emerging globally. In Africa, Latin America, Asia and beyond, hopes are high that access to data can help developing economies by increasing transparency, fostering sustainable development, building climate resiliency and the like, he noted.