In today’s digital age, data has become an invaluable asset, driving innovation, economic growth, and societal development. Africa, with its vast population and diverse landscapes, holds immense potential for leveraging data to transform various sectors. However, to harness the power of data effectively, responsible data governance is essential. This blog post explores the concept of responsibly unlocking the value of data for all, the evolving data governance efforts in Africa, and the potential of sandboxes in fostering cross-border data sharing.

This blog was first published by Datasphere Initiative. Read More Here.

For several decades, Nigeria, Africa’s economic giant, has struggled with corruption, especially in relation to public procurement at the federal, state, and municipal/local levels of government. In 2022, Nigeria obtained 24 out of a possible 100 points in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). This is the same score as the Central African Republic, Guatemala, and Tajikistan and well below the global average of 43 out of 100. Corruption impedes the functioning of the public sector and the economy with a debilitating effect on quality of public service delivery. Corruption can also breed political instability and social unrest, which serves extremists and can lead to long-term insecurity.

This article was first published by here by The Brookings Institution

Authors: Sope Williams, Adedeji Adeniran, Aloysius Uche Ordu

Nigeria, often referred to as “Africa’s giant”, has experienced a complex trajectory of development and poverty reduction which presents a paradoxical scenario (World Bank, 2022). Despite being the continent’s largest economy, Nigeria’s annual growth rate has been declining since the early 2000s while poverty remains a pervasive challenge (World Bank, 2022). Evaluating the progress made in reducing poverty and promoting development, and analysing the reasons behind any setbacks, is key to gaining some insights into the country’s prospects, and helps provide valuable lessons to be learned from Nigeria’s case study. 

Read More

This commentary was first published by the Italian Institute for International Political Studies

Tobacco control policy refers to the efforts made to reduce the impact of tobacco use on public health. This can include measures such as increasing taxes on tobacco products, implementing smoke-free laws, running anti-smoking campaigns, and providing support for people who want to quit smoking. In Nigeria, the government played a critical role in the country's tobacco control efforts by ratifying the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which commits the government to take appropriate measures to reduce tobacco use and its associated health effects.

At the federal level, the government enforced tobacco control policies that apply to the entire country. The policies in this regard include higher taxes on tobacco products, Public smoking bans, regulations on tobacco advertising and sponsorship, and mandatory graphic health warnings on tobacco packages. Furthermore, the government allocated resources to support tobacco control programs and campaigns, monitor the impact of tobacco use and the effectiveness of tobacco control policies.

This brief highlights the importance of state involvement in tobacco control efforts. It seeks to provide evidence-based recommendations through the WHO MPOWER framework on how state governments can effectively implement tobacco control policies and programs that will protect their residents from the harmful effects of tobacco use.

In Nigeria, women’s labour participation has begun to pick up in recent years after many years of stagnation. However, women's entry point into labour has been mainly through the informal sector or at the bottom pyramid of the formal labour market. Promoting women's inclusion in the top echelon of the labour market remains a knotty policy issue. This has become more important with the Nigerian government increasing priority around MSMEs as a tool for poverty alleviation and economic development.