Posts categorized Data Use

Cashew-IN project came to an end in August 2024 after four years of working with government agencies, producers, traders, processors, and development partners in the five implementing countries to co-create an online tool aimed to inform, support, promote, and strengthen Africa’s cashew industry. This blog outlines some of the key project highlights, including some of the challenges we faced, lessons learned, success stories, and identified opportunities for a more competitive cashew sector in West Africa.

In today’s fast-evolving world, governments and public organizations are under more pressure than ever before to deliver efficient, transparent services that align with public expectations. In this blog, we delve into the key concepts behind digital transformation and how it can enhance public value by promoting transparency, informing policy, and supporting evidence-based decision-making.

Over the last six years, DG, together with its partners AfricaFertilizer (AFO) and Wallace & Associates, collaborated to implement the Visualizing Insights on Fertilizer for African Agriculture (VIFAA) Program. In the program’s final year (2024), the team undertook a “program learning process” to reflect on outcomes, challenges, and successes through internal interviews. This blog captures five key learnings, which we hope will guide similar programs aiming to bridge data gaps in agricultural development.

Ethiopia has the largest livestock population in Africa, with over 70 million cattle, 95 million sheep and goats, and 8 million camels as of 2024, according to The World Bank. To support the effective management of this vast sector, Development Gateway (DG), through the aLIVE program, is working to enhance key livestock information systems for Ethiopia’s Ministry of Agriculture (MoA). 

As we observe World Cancer Day today, it is crucial to recognize the significant role smoking plays in the global cancer epidemic. Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of cancer and cancer-related deaths worldwide, necessitating a dynamic, multidisciplinary approach to tobacco control interventions. DG’s Tobacco Control Data Initiative (TCDI) contains country-specific websites designed to

This blog explores key insights from the DaYTA program, offering practical guidance for researchers on effective data collection, overcoming field challenges, and leveraging local partnerships to enhance tobacco control efforts. This piece is especially timely following DaYTA’s workshop convening all 3 study country stakeholders to review the survey results and strategize on how best to disseminate this data to target audiences. This workshop took place from in Lagos, Nigeria, from November 18-20th.

DG is excited to announce the publication of a research manuscript on Mortality from Tobacco Use in Kenya in Tobacco-Induced Diseases. This research was carried out as part of the Tobacco Control Data Initiative (TCDI).

Development Gateway: An IREX Venture (DG) and our strategic partner IREX, supported by the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, conducted a study of the education data systems in Kenya and Senegal. In our findings from this study, we underscore the necessity of a harmonized approach to education data management and share insights that provide a valuable roadmap for future reforms and investments in education data systems.

In order to combat the effects of climate change, financing is needed to fund effective climate fighting strategies. Our white paper, “Tracking Climate Finance in Africa: Political and Technical Insights on Building Sustainable Digital Public Goods,” explores the importance of climate finance tracking, common barriers to establishing climate finance tracking systems, and five insights on developing climate finance tracking systems.

As tobacco companies have aggressively deployed creative strategies to market retail nicotine and tobacco products at children and adolescents, it is imperative that tobacco control stakeholders have access to timely and high-quality data to inform robust policies, regulations, and enforcement mechanisms.