Session
Organizer 1: Civil Society, African Group
Organizer 2: Civil Society, African Group
Organizer 2: Civil Society, African Group
Speaker 1: Bobina Zulfa, Civil Society, African Group
Speaker 2: Bonnita Nyamwire, Civil Society, African Group
Speaker 3: Neema Iyer, Private Sector, African Group
Speaker 2: Bonnita Nyamwire, Civil Society, African Group
Speaker 3: Neema Iyer, Private Sector, African Group
Format
Roundtable
Duration (minutes): 90
Format description: The roundtable format and the 90 minutes are the best fit because this session will be best delivered if it fosters interactive dialogue and collaboration from different stakeholders, breaking down the power relations, an essential aspect to encourage equal participation and the sharing of diverse perspectives, and allowing for the co-creation of working solutions. The format is also ideal for addressing complex policy questions and discussing case studies as well as finding consensus on the tools like the evaluation framework to be shared in the session. The 90 minutes will provide us enough time for a comprehensive, in-depth discussion, allowing us to explore case studies and allow us to get actionable insights and strategies.
Duration (minutes): 90
Format description: The roundtable format and the 90 minutes are the best fit because this session will be best delivered if it fosters interactive dialogue and collaboration from different stakeholders, breaking down the power relations, an essential aspect to encourage equal participation and the sharing of diverse perspectives, and allowing for the co-creation of working solutions. The format is also ideal for addressing complex policy questions and discussing case studies as well as finding consensus on the tools like the evaluation framework to be shared in the session. The 90 minutes will provide us enough time for a comprehensive, in-depth discussion, allowing us to explore case studies and allow us to get actionable insights and strategies.
Policy Question(s)
How can gender transformative approaches strengthen the African Union Data policy framework implementation and address systemic biases in data governance?
What role does an evaluation framework play in measuring progress towards gender equitable data ecosystems across Africa?
What is the role of multistakeholderism in ensuring data policies prioritise gender equity and amplify marginalized voices?
What will participants gain from attending this session? Participants will gain practical insights and tools to implement gender-transformative data governance policies. They will engage with a structured evaluation framework designed to assess the effectiveness of national data systems, ensuring gender equitable outcomes that drive sustainable development.
Participants will explore how Afrofeminist principles can be integrated into data governance to address systemic biases, power imbalances, and inclusion gaps
Participants will be equipped with advocacy tools and policy strategies to drive institutional adoption of regular data policy audits to strengthen accountability, transparency and evidence-based decision making.
SDGs
Description:
This session explores how the domestication of the African Union Data Policy Framework (AUDPF) can drive gender-transformative, evidence-based and accountable data governance across Africa. By centering Afro-feminist principles, the discussion will highlight how gender-responsive policies can address systemic biases, power imbalances, and inequalities in data ecosystems ensuring women and marginalised groups are actively involved in shaping data governance structures. Too often, African states adopt and implement policies but may fall short on evaluation mechanisms to track policy effectiveness. This session will make a strong case for institutionalising a culture of regular data policy audits, ensuring that governments can identify gaps, measure impact, and refine strategies for more inclusive and equitable data governance. An evaluation framework will be introduced and validated, offering African states a structured mechanism to assess, ensure accountability and maximise the economic, social value derived from data systems, processes and practices. Beyond compliance, robust evaluation enhances governance effectiveness, enabling nations to anticipate challenges, build trust and drive evidence-based decision making. By embedding Afrofeminist methodologies, governments can construct resilient, just and equitable data ecosystems that prioritize social justice, equity and sustainable development. This session will therefore provide a practical pathway for the government, civil society, and policy makers to move from policy commitments to action, that is measurable, impactful and deeply rooted in African realities.
This session explores how the domestication of the African Union Data Policy Framework (AUDPF) can drive gender-transformative, evidence-based and accountable data governance across Africa. By centering Afro-feminist principles, the discussion will highlight how gender-responsive policies can address systemic biases, power imbalances, and inequalities in data ecosystems ensuring women and marginalised groups are actively involved in shaping data governance structures. Too often, African states adopt and implement policies but may fall short on evaluation mechanisms to track policy effectiveness. This session will make a strong case for institutionalising a culture of regular data policy audits, ensuring that governments can identify gaps, measure impact, and refine strategies for more inclusive and equitable data governance. An evaluation framework will be introduced and validated, offering African states a structured mechanism to assess, ensure accountability and maximise the economic, social value derived from data systems, processes and practices. Beyond compliance, robust evaluation enhances governance effectiveness, enabling nations to anticipate challenges, build trust and drive evidence-based decision making. By embedding Afrofeminist methodologies, governments can construct resilient, just and equitable data ecosystems that prioritize social justice, equity and sustainable development. This session will therefore provide a practical pathway for the government, civil society, and policy makers to move from policy commitments to action, that is measurable, impactful and deeply rooted in African realities.
Expected Outcomes
Participants will learn how to evaluate the effectiveness of data governance policies.
Attendees will receive a guide on AUDPF and gender transformative data governance
Attendees will gain strategies to push for inclusive data governance
Hybrid Format: Our goal is to have a highly interactive session given the nature of the topic, each participant would be required to engage with either question prompts or form opinions on resources provided and so on. As such the interaction between online and onsite participants would happen through :
A facilitator who would moderate the online session
All resources and session information would be projected both for the online and onsite participants
Each participant would get the same instruction and information, and online participants would be considered as a break out group on their own.
The online groups would be projected, when we come back as one group, so the main facilitator would be speaking both to the camera and the onsite participants