New Guides! Responsible Data Governance for M&E in Africa

Guest post from Prof Dugan Fraser, Program Manager, Global Evaluation Initiative (GEI) and Dr Candice Morkel, Director, CLEAR-AA

COVID ripped away the curtain that had veiled much of contemporary global society and revealed much that we already knew but chose not to discuss. One of the things clearly revealed by COVID is the extent to which we now rely on digital communication platforms and the essential role they will play in our lives in future.

The fuel that drives these platforms is data of various kinds. It’s being widely noted that data can be understood to be the new oil: a precious resource that needs careful, prudent management and careful consideration of its use and abuse. The counterpoint is that if data is the new oil, privacy is the new climate change. States, governments, companies, institutions, and individuals must be mindful of responsible data management in the knowledge economy, because if they aren’t, the damage will be deep, profound, and potentially irreversible.

“Big Data” and the “Data Revolution” are not just buzzwords. They are real and present features of our current lives. Anyone in any position of authority needs to undertake a mindful, thoughtful consideration of the systems and frameworks that guide our management and use of data. We also need to take better account of the effects of unethical and irresponsible data governance on society, communities, and individuals.

Monitoring and evaluation are at the forefront of the “data revolution” and have been since the outset of the digital era. As we become aware of the perils of weak data governance, both monitoring and evaluation need to reflect deeply on how to improve their practices and meet the emerging standards for good practice as responsible citizens in the global data ecosystem.

The sector – its practitioners and the institutions who use M&E for purposes of accountability and evidence-informed decision-making – have a responsibility to ensure that the quality, relevance, accessibility, and timely production and use of data ultimately improves lives and does not create opportunities for exploitation and exclusion. Data protection and integrity need to be placed front and center of these processes, given that the production and use of data is the fulcrum around which M&E revolves.

We are very pleased to present a new two-part Guide on Responsible Data Governance for Monitoring and Evaluation in the African Context. This Guide is the first of its kind for the African continent and was produced by the Responsible Data in M&E (RDiME) Alliance – a diverse team of experts in data privacy law, M&E, and government, together with CLEAR-AA and MERL Tech.

We are very grateful to the members of the Alliance for their unflagging enthusiasm and the passionate way they approached the task. We hope the Guide will act as a call to action for responsible data governance for M&E in Africa.

View and download the guides!

Part 1: Overview of Data Governance focuses on theoretical aspects of data governance with particular emphasis on personal and sensitive data, Africa’s data ecosystem, and the M&E practices of various actors involved. It considers the African contextual reality in which no single, common law exists to govern data practices and states have varying levels of data capacity and regulation. Finally it summarizes privacy-related debates in the framework of M&E and the data revolution and points towards alternative data governance models that might be suited for the continent.

Part 2: Practical Guidance on Responsible Data Governance in M&E provides orientation for practitioners on responsible data governance of personal and sensitive data in Africa in the context of monitoring and evaluation. Following the ‘data lifecycle,’ it offers tips and guidance as well as case studies to support M&E professionals to manage data responsibly in their work.