Stories, ideas, and updates from DGers around the world

20 years is multiple lifetimes in technology. We have seen technologies, companies, and trends come and go – some leaving lasting impact, others unfulfilled promises. Here we reflect on our tech history and our efforts to constantly evolve, to stay ahead of the curve, and to maintain a focus on building tools that our partners can actually use, expand, and sustain.

As we celebrate our 20th anniversary, we recognize that in many ways the DG of today and the DG of 20 years ago are totally different, but what we have accomplished and learned on the journey has become part of our DNA. Our successes and challenges have fed into our ethos as the innovative, agile organization that we are today.

Twenty years ago, DG began as an idea, “How can we leverage the power of the internet to understand who is doing what, where, and to what effect?" This summer, we are celebrating DG’s 20th anniversary. We will take stock of where we have been, examine where we are now, and look to the future of DG.

This past March, DG launched an AMP module that helps the Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development in Uganda track aid disbursements in their existing Program Budgeting System. This blog examines DG’s technical process and the specific solutions used to overcome AMP-Program Budgeting System (PBS) integration challenges.

Since 2017, Development Gateway has been working with the Government of Uganda to build and update their Aid Management Platform (AMP). Uganda’s AMP houses over 1,300 on-budget projects directly from its national data management system. This year, DG built a module that interfaces with Uganda’s Program Budgeting System (PBS) to ensure that data is effectively transmitted between the two systems.

Several months ago, the Tobacco Control Data Initiative (TCDI) team completed an assessment in South Africa to understand the key priorities and data needs of those who work in tobacco control. During the assessment, the team talked to a variety of stakeholders within government agencies, civil society organizations, and academia who work on promoting, advocating, or evaluating tobacco control policies.

Since 2018, Development Gateway has led the Des Chiffres et Des Jeunes (DCDJ) project. A mainstay of DCDJ is the Data Fellowship program, which provides data science training to young professionals in Cote d’Ivoire, followed by internships with government ministries, agencies, or NGOs that are part of the fight against HIV/AIDS. The SuperFellows reinforce capacity building and sustainability in the data ecosystem.

Chaque année, les gouvernements dépensent des milliards de dollars, dans la commande publique de biens et services - s’ils ne mettent pas en avant le concept de redevabilité, beaucoup de ressources peuvent être perdues au gaspillage ou à la corruption. Aujourd'hui, plus que jamais, la transparence dans les marchés publics, plus précisément la commande publique ouverte, est nécessaire au Sénégal et dans le monde, au moment les gouvernements se mobilisent pour lutter contre la pandémie du Covid-19 et essaient de s'en remettre, tout en s'efforçant de venir en aide aux populations les plus vulnérables. 

Each year, governments spend trillions of dollars through public procurement of goods and services – without a focus on accountability, much can be lost through waste or corruption. Today, more than ever, transparency in public procurement and  Open Contracting is needed in Senegal and around the world as governments respond to and recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.

As the world continues to face the effects of Covid-19, policymakers are turning to data more than ever to understand the scope of the crisis, anticipate its spread, and formulate policy decisions; but gender-disaggregated data are missing from the picture. Knowing what information is being captured and what is not could impact decision-making.