By Florence Syevuo and Al Kags At a recent breakfast gathering in Nairobi, we asked each person who walked into the room to take a single puzzle piece. No explanation. No picture of the final image. Just that small fragment, handed over with a quiet challenge. As the morning unfolded, something wonderful happened. Strangers began…
The Civic Tech Innovation Forum 2024 opened up fresh perspectives on the interplay between technology, data, and governance across Africa. Themed “Under The Hood”, it caused civil society players to reflect on the relationship between self, community and tech while looking under the hood, underneath the surface of our work, our communities and the technology…
For years, the Open Institute has worked diligently to guide counties towards more effective, data-centred decision-making. Our focus has been on equipping local governments with essential tools and expertise, ensuring better resource allocation, stronger policies, and improved public services. In the last two and a half years, our partnership with Nandi and Kilifi counties has…
For the first time in a decade, the world has witnessed a significant decline in social progress. The Social Progress Index highlights that last year, 61 countries saw a decline, 77 stagnated, and only 32 made real progress, with the UK falling into the second tier for the first time. With 4 out of 5…
One of the main goals of our active citizenship work is making sure that data is widely accessed and used not just by governments but by citizens. We cannot achieve true data democracy when citizens are not involved in an active way in the data life cycle. We need to move away from only seeing…
Systems change is the goal of our work, promoting Responsive Governments and Active Citizenship. Our pursuit of this goal has continually convinced us that systemic transformation must be built from the ground up. Actual progress lies in adjusting policies and reconfiguring the societal and governance ecosystems that determine whose voices are amplified and silenced. To…
We launched the #FichaUchi campaign to raise awareness about the inadvertent exposure of personal information among Kenyan citizens. Through a series of talk shows broadcasted on community radios across nine counties in Kenya, we sought to shed light on data protection and educate citizens with knowledge about their rights. The discussions touched on various facets…
Sabasi, our innovative and simple-to-use data collection tool will be going through a series of upgrades throughout the month of February. It has been exciting to witness the platform’s success, and we are committed to providing our users with the best possible experience. As we grow and thrive together, it is now crucial that we…
As we approach 2024, data privacy has become an increasingly relevant topic. Just this July 2023, Kenya faced a pivotal moment when the e-Citizen government platform, entrusted with our most sensitive personal information, fell victim to a cyberattack. It was a Distributed denial-of-service (DDOC) attack that would see many Kenyans locked out of their government…
Africa, with its tapestry of cultures and a history as old as time itself, is now amid a digital awakening. Stepping into the data era with purpose, it’s time we asked ourselves, “How do we take control of our digital narrative?” Multinational corporations are setting up the data rules—much like someone else dictating how we…
📅 Dates: November 25 & 26, 2024
📍 Location: Nairobi, kenya
Unlock the future of data governance with industry leaders, insightful sessions, and networking opportunities!
