Open Data Day 2021 - AfricaPromoting Transparent COVID-19 Data Governance
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Open Data Day 2021 - Africa Outcome
Watch the videos of the Open Data Day Africa webinars held in five countries below!

Kenya

Uganda

Ghana

Southern Africa

Francophone Africa

About Open Data Day 2021 - Africa
The Open Data Day, run by the Open Knowledge Foundation, is an annual celebration of open data all over the world which provides an opportunity to show the benefits of open data and encourage the adoption of open data policies in government, business and civil society. This year, the Open Institute will convene an event to discuss how decisions regarding the access and use of data in Kenya are made.
Background of the Event

In 2020, huge progress was made in understanding the COVID-19 virus, its transmission patterns, and what was needed to develop an effective vaccine. These developments would not have been possible had Chinese authorities not shared the full sequence of the COVID genome with the world in early January 2020. However, since that initial open sharing, the situation has become more complicated. More recently, scientists have called for more open sharing of the genomes of the virus’s variants to enable swift responses to them. Issues pertaining to IP rights, recognition and acknowledgement of others’ research, and the privacy of individuals are currently impeding a more ‘open’ approach at a global level.

These complex issues pertaining to data sharing and openness play out differently in different parts of the world. One of the themes of this year’s Open Data Day is Data for Equal Development. In the context of COVID-19, we find ourselves asking what decisions about whether COVID-19 data should be made open or kept closed at the global level mean for access and use of that data in African countries. In particular, what are the implications for Africans’ equitable access to crucial data, treatments and vaccines? Transparency is a characteristic of government, companies, organisations and individuals that are open in the clear disclosure of information, and ensuring that the information is managed and published so that it is relevant, accessible, timely and accurate.

About #RestoreDataRights

Through the #RestoreDataRights Declaration, we call for decisions and decision-making processes taken around how sensitive data is collected, shared and used to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa to be transparent, inclusive and accountable. By using the #RestoreDataRights Declaration, we can examine some of the issues that arise from a continental perspective on COVID-19, including among others:

  • How open is open when it comes to COVID-19 data collection,
    processing and publication?
  • What can/should be open (that is not open)?
  • What can/should not be open (that is open)?
  • What kinds of data and metadata are available to the public;
  • Whether open-source software and algorithms are being used to
    analyse data in Africa;
  • Whether data sharing agreements, government policies and other important documents have been published openly;
  • Whether the public and civil society are being consulted in how sensitive data are being collected and used;
  • Whether appropriate steps have been taken to protect data that might be used to identify individuals or vulnerable groups if made
    open.
Open Data Day 2021 - Africa Events By Country
Events information for different countries participating
Expired
March 6, 2021
10:00 am
The Open Data Day, run by the Open Knowledge Foundation, is an annual celebration of open data all over the world which provides an opportunity to show the benefits of open data and encourage the adoption of open data policies in government, business and civil society. This year, the Open Institute will convene an event to discuss how decisions regarding the access and use of data in Kenya are made.
Expired
March 6, 2021
10:00 am
The Open Data Day, run by the Open Knowledge Foundation, is an annual celebration of open data all over the world which provides an opportunity to show the benefits of open data and encourage the adoption of open data policies...
Expired
March 6, 2021
4:00 pm
Africa Digital Right’s Hub is  celebrating  Open Data Day  in collaboration with the  Open Institute under the  theme “Data for Equal Development”. The discussions will focus on whether COVID-19 data should be made open or kept closed at the global...
Expired
Topic: Promoting Transparent COVID-19 Data Governance in Southern Africa
Key Issues & Expected Outcomes
Key Issues

From the continents perspective, we are interested in how the theme of transparency is important during the COVID-19 pandemic in the following ways:

  1. How disclosure (as manifested through Open Contracting or misuse/sharing of personal data for non-COVID-19 related purposes, for example) avoids bad practices and exposes bad conduct
  2. Transparency is important in preserving data rights – not just because the laws/ policies say so, but also because it is believed that such rights are intrinsic human rights. We deserve to know what data is being used for
  3. How can we be proactive (rather than reactive) in prescribing good practices when it comes to transparency? This involves looking at some case studies from the continent and moving on to creating ‘buckets’ where we can categorize some of the harmful practices and how transparency remedies these. (for example, vaccine companies that have harnessed research data publicly but then move on to charge expensively for them).
  4. Lastly, how should transparency within the context of data rights be sustained?
Expected Outcomes

This events seeks to:

  • Promote rich dialogue while focusing on country perspectives on issues regarding data transparency, particularly around COVID-19 data governance
  • Provide examples from across target countries that can be used to develop
    a repository that provides evidence for advocacy efforts for engaging with
    governments, acts as an online resource for researchers and build awareness about data transparency
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