Development Gateway: An IREX Venture

????The Tobacco Control Data Initiative (TCDI) and the Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa (CSEA) are excited to share our 2024 Highlights and 2025 Roadmap video! As the second phase of TCDI focuses on fostering local ownership and sustainability, the video highlights the critical role partnerships play in deepening and expanding tobacco control efforts across Africa. ?? Learn about our 2024 achievements and explore our regional expansion plans and strategic goals for 2025 here: https://lnkd.in/dP8i244w #TobaccoControl #DataForPolicy #PublicHealth #Collaboration #Africa #EvidenceBasedDecisionMaking International Institute For Legislative Affairs, Health Development and Antimalaria Association HDAMA, CTPD Zambia

As public life becomes increasingly digital, governments and public organizations face growing pressure to deliver efficient, transparent services. Digital transformation has the power to enhance public value, but it requires equitable, sustainable strategic solutions that ensure long-term impact. ?? How can digital transformation enable public value in agriculture and open contracting? Drawing from Development Gateway’s work, Ashlin Simpson shares key insights in our latest blog. Read more: https://lnkd.in/db7fvaVW #DigitalTransformation #PublicValue #Digitization #Transparency #Innovation #SustainableSolutions

??Creating interoperable systems is an essential step in designing sustainable digital public infrastructure. But achieving this doesn’t mean reinventing the wheel. Interoperability requires building on existing infrastructure while ensuring a seamless flow of quality, shareable, and usable data. One of the most effective ways to achieve this is by applying a data governance lens during the technical development of systems. This approach: ?? Improves data accuracy and consistency ?? Removes guesswork from data sharing ?? Strengthens security, usability, and quality of data ?? Learn more about how to incorporate a data governance lens for creating interoperable systems in our white paper "Demystifying Interoperability." Chapter 3, in particular, explores the practical and legal frameworks that shape how key digital systems manage and control data. ?? Access the white paper here: https://lnkd.in/eyemJKyF #Interoperability #DigitalInfrastructure #DataGovernance #PublicSectorInnovation #TechForGood #DataStandardization #DigitalTransformation

???? Success in agriculture isn’t just about having the right equipment—it depends on informed decision-making. Without reliable data, achieving sustainable growth, food security, and soil health becomes significantly more challenging. ???? For the past six years, DG, in collaboration with AfricaFertilizer and Wallace Associates, has worked to bridge agricultural data gaps through the Visualizing Insights on Fertilizer for African Agriculture (VIFAA) Program, developing dashboards and tools that improve, manage, and visualize fertilizer data across the continent. Collaborating with public and private sectors, VIFAA has strived to strengthen data collection, analysis, and use to boost fertilizer adoption in Sub-Saharan Africa—a region with the lowest fertilizer usage in the world. Following the conclusion of the VIFAA program, we reflect on five key lessons that can help guide future efforts to close agricultural data gaps. ?? Explore our key insights for bridging data gaps and driving meaningful, data-informed change in agriculture here: https://lnkd.in/dDW2UCKw #Fertilizer #FertilizerData #DataforDevelopment #DataForAgriculture #FoodSecurity #SustainableFarming #AgTech #FertilizerUse #AfricanAgriculture #FoodSystems #SoilHealth

???? Digital technologies have advanced faster than any other innovation in history. But how can we ensure the digital solutions we develop stand the test of time? To truly drive sustainable development, digital tools must deliver long-term value—continuing to serve users beyond the completion of the project in which they were developed. ?? One of the main keys to securing the sustainability of a digital tool is the successful handover from the organization that created it to the government stakeholders or communities who will use it. As part of the Digital Advisory Support Services for Accelerated Rural Transformation (DAS) Program, Development Gateway, alongside JengaLab and TechChange, has developed a practical guide on how to successfully hand over digital tools while ensuring scalability and long-term impact. ?? You can access this guide to successful tool handover here: https://lnkd.in/gMS6k97k #DigitalSustainability #TechForGood #DigitalTransformation #CapacityBuilding #SustainableDevelopment #Innovation

???? In February, DG’s a Livestock Information Vision Ethiopia (aLIVE) team embarked on a leadership tour of New Zealand, a global leader in livestock management, seeking valuable insights to strengthen Ethiopia’s livestock sector. Accompanied by officials from Ministry of Agriculture, Ethiopia, the team visited leading New Zealand livestock farms & institutions, including Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC), DairyNZ, Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), Bayly Farms, and Silver Fern Farms Ltd. ?? Some key lessons learned: ? Enhancing Breeding Programs – Strengthening genetic data collection and improving artificial insemination services can boost productivity. ?Developing Market Linkages – Investing in value chain development through better market connections and cooperative-driven processing facilities ensures sustainable growth. ?Sustainable Livestock Management – Encouraging efficient pasture use and climate-smart practices supports long-term productivity. ?Accelerating Digital Innovation – Introducing low-cost digital solutions for herd monitoring and disease prevention can drive transformation. ?Strengthening Policy Frameworks – Supporting farmer-researcher collaborations and reinforcing quality assurance measures can improve sector-wide outcomes. ???? Ethiopia has Africa’s largest livestock population. By adapting these insights to the local context, the country can implement scalable, cost-effective strategies that enhance productivity, sustainability, and market integration. #LivestockInnovation #SustainableAgriculture #DigitalTransformation #Ethiopia #ClimateSmartFarming

?? As governments increasingly embrace digital transformation, one question remains: Who has the right to access and use public data? On season 2 of our podcast, Data…for What?!, Natalia Carfi, Executive Director of the Open Data Charter, points out that government data belongs to the public—not just public officials. But making public data truly open requires more than just availability; it demands accessibility, usability, and a commitment to transparency. ?? However, openness must be carefully balanced with data protection and privacy, as highlighted by our other guest Swee Leng Harris. ?? To learn more about the rewards and the risks associated with open data, take a listen to our podcast episode on this important issue. Spotify: https://lnkd.in/dbixfts5 Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/dTraunZ7 #OpenData #Transparency #DigitalTransformation #PublicEngagement #Innovation #DataGovernance

A common refrain among stakeholders is “You can’t do something for us without us.” Building solutions with partners, rather than just for them, takes active collaboration throughout the program design and implementation. This results in solutions that benefit everyone involved and takes embedding governance structures, such as advisory boards and steering committees, as a core concept in all programs. Governance structures can: ? Strengthen stakeholder buy-in ? Enhance collaboration and engagement ? Ensure digital solutions are aligned with real-world needs ? However, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Through our Data on Youth and Tobacco in Africa (DaYTA) program and its sister initiative, the Tobacco Control Data Initiative (TCDI), we’ve learned that governance structures are a powerful means of ensuring that the digital solutions created accurately meet stakeholders’ needs and foster future engagement—when implemented correctly. ?? In this blog, we share three key insights from DaYTA and TCDI on how governance structures drive long-term engagement: https://lnkd.in/gxd4vW5Y #DataForGood #DigitalGovernance #StakeholderEngagement #TobaccoControl #SustainableSolutions

Real-time, accessible data is essential for effective and efficient livestock management. To facilitate this process, Development Gateway, through the ‘a Livestock Information Vision for Ethiopia’ (aLIVE) program, is working with Ethiopia’s Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) to digitize livestock traceability, ensuring greater efficiency and data-driven decision-making in the country. ???? As part of this initiative, we are developing the Ethiopia Livestock Identification and Traceability System (ET-LITS) mobile app, which will enable real-time animal registration and tracking. Complementing the ET-LITS website, this app will support Ethiopia’s MoA in strengthening livestock systems, enhancing their capacity to efficiently analyze and effectively utilize livestock data in decision-making. ? Key features of the app will include: ??Animal Registration: Seamlessly register and tag animals. ??Animal Movement Request: Track and record animal movements between establishments. ??Health Events: Log key health-related events, including vaccinations, treatments, and sampling. This initiative is crucial for Ethiopia, home to Africa’s largest livestock population, and will help drive sustainability, efficiency, and data-driven decision-making in the agricultural sector. ?? In our latest blog, Gerald Mutuhu and Marina Soledad Baralo share how we’re building the ET-LITS mobile app and ensuring its long-term impact: https://lnkd.in/d3KgjZzt #LivestockManagement #DigitalInnovation #DataStandardization #DigitalTransformation #AgricultureTech #Ethiopia #SustainableFarming #DataDrivenDevelopment #aLIVE

?? JOBS ALERT! ?? We are hiring for two positions! Position 1: Short-term Legal Consultant (Philippines) - National Models for Women’s Safety Online (NMWSO) As Legal Consultant, you will be expected to conduct a comprehensive review of the legislative and regulatory frameworks governing digital engagement and online spaces in the Philippines, with a focus on women’s safety online. ?? Position: Remote (Philippines-based), part-time consultancy ??Expected Commitment: 10 days distributed across March 2025 ?? Applications Close: March 6, 2025 ?? Apply: https://lnkd.in/gebJzJic Position 2: Full-time Country Lead Consultant (Tanzania) - Soil Nutrition Roadmap (SNR) As the Tanzania Country Lead, you will build and establish relationships with key stakeholders, ensure SNR model outputs and frameworks align with national priorities and policies, and provide input to the broader Soil Nutrition team on Tanzania’s political nuances and cultural contexts. This is a full-time consultancy, based in Dar es Salaam. ?? Apply: https://lnkd.in/dnmC3y_A #Hiring #JobAlert #DigitalSolutions #Development #TanzaniaJobs #PhilippinesJobs