Stories, ideas, and updates from DGers around the world
The Development Gateway: An IREX Venture blog is where DGers share specific learnings, offer thought-provoking insights, and pose challenging questions for the sustainable development community derived from our work.
Our blog has a deep archive going back to 2005. Each post is a snapshot into our work, priorities, and values.
Highlights from Francophone Africa and the Caribbean
DG has been implementing projects in French-speaking African and Caribbean countries since 2007. We apply our technical expertise to develop multilingual customized tools, processes, and analyses to help our partners achieve results in various domains including development assistance, agriculture, extractive industries, and health. This newsletter highlights DG's ongoing work in francophone countries.
Une réflexion sur les données des IE
Au cours des dernières années, DG a intensifié sa recherche dans le domaine des industries extractives (IE) en Afrique de l'Ouest, ce qui a permis de mieux cerner les lacunes en termes de données et d'identifier les opportunités du secteur. Nous avons constaté que les informations disponibles au grand public sont principalement axées sur la transparence des flux financiers et ciblent la scène internationale, mais occultent les facteurs non-financiers et l'impact local réel de l'industrie. Une question reste en suspens : comment promouvoir la divulgation de données susceptibles d'appuyer les communautés impactées par les activités extractives ?
A Reflection on the State of Extractive Industry Data
In the past few years, DG has increased focus on the extractives industry (EI) in West Africa and learned tremendously about the data gaps and opportunities in this sector. Overall we are seeing that while data is available, it is focused primarily on financial transparency and geared to a global audience, omitting information on local impacts and non-financial factors. A big question remains: how do we ensure that data is also used to support the communities impacted by extractives?
DCDJ at Devex World
Last Thursday, the DCDJ Fellows attended Devex World, which provided a platform for professional networking, exploring new ideas, and seeing how their data science work fits with the broader development community.
Understanding Fertilizer Markets through the VIFAA Kenya Dashboard
Michael Kamau, Intervention Manager for Agricultural Inputs, at Kenya Market Trust, explains how decision-making in the fertilizer sector requires data on how fertilizer markets are functioning. The new Visualizing Insights on Fertilizer for African Agriculture (VIFAA) Dashboard for Kenya provides a detailed picture of the fertilizer sector to support decision-making at all levels – and ultimately, to ensure fertilizer is available for smallholder farmers when and where they need it.
CEO, Josh Powell, Appointed to MCC’s Advisory Council
Development Gateway is pleased to announce that CEO, Josh Powell, has been appointed to the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s (MCC) Advisory Council for the 2020-2022 term.
The State of Data in DG’s Work
As we review our strategy, we plan to share here much of what we’ve learned through programming in more than a dozen countries – from our work and from our excellent partners – about the state of data in agriculture, tobacco control, open contracting, and the extractive industries. For each theme, we’ll explore who are the key data users, the decisions they make, the most important data gaps, and the crucial risks of data (mis)use. Here we share previews from some of our flagship programs.
Data Strategies Playbook
DG is pleased to announce the publication of our latest white paper, Designing Data Strategies: A Playbook for Action. This work aims to distill lessons learned from our research and collaboration, designing data strategies with development and humanitarian agencies. In the current ‘data revolution’ era, data and digital are both a strategic asset and a source of institutional risk.
Join us for “When the Data Stop: Building Resilient Subnational Data Use” on Oct. 15
On October 15 at 9:00-10:00AM EST, DG is hosting a conversation on the sidelines of the 2020 Virtual UN World Data Forum, focused on strengthen local data and statistical capacities moving forward.
Thoughtfully Growing a Global Team
For many organizations, working with & managing remote, global teams has become a new challenge during the pandemic. DG has counted on a global team for many years – and we recently committed to growing our team almost exclusively in the countries and regions in which our work takes place. To demystify what could be a daunting process, we're sharing lessons that we've learned from building our global team.