Toro Development Network

While the field of data governance in Africa continues to mature at both the continental and national level, work is also needed at the subnational level, and especially cities. To that end, ToroDev — a Ugandan research and advocacy organization with extensive experience working at the nexus of transparency, participation, and accountability, as well as evidence-informed policymaking — is undertaking a baseline study of the current state and future needs of urban-level data governance in Uganda. The project is examining the challenges and opportunities of urban data governance in East Africa by developing case studies of two very different Ugandan cities: Fort Portal (a city with a strong tourism base) and Hoima (a city with an extractives base). An intensive literature review combined with an online survey are also being conducted in other African countries and cities to compare with the situation in Uganda. Together, this multipronged effort will draw out broader lessons learned and policy recommendations for data governance in African urban settings. This grant is a supplement to the main grant for this work dating from May 2022. It will be used to more fully engage key stakeholders and researchers by expanding the scope to more cities in Uganda, and more closely involve the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, and Ministry of Local Government. This grant is part of a cluster of grants under the Evidence-Informed Policymaking strategy to strengthen a field of African institutions working on data governance. The goal of this cluster is to help governments in East and West Africa develop policy frameworks that balance public good uses of data with data privacy and protection.

While the field of data governance in Africa continues to mature at both the continental and national level, work is also needed at the subnational level, and especially cities. To that end, ToroDev — a Ugandan research and advocacy organization with extensive experience working at the nexus of transparency, participation, and accountability, as well as evidence-informed policymaking — will undertake a baseline study of the current state and future needs of urban-level data governance in Uganda. The project will examine the challenges and opportunities of urban data governance in East Africa by developing case studies of two very different Ugandan cities: Fort Portal (a city with a strong tourism base) and Hoima (a city with an extractives base). An intensive literature review combined with an online survey will also be conducted in other East African countries and cities to compare with the situation in Uganda. Together, this multipronged effort will draw out broader lessons learned and policy recommendations for data governance in African urban settings. A final report will be produced and disseminated: first in each of the two pilot cities, and later at a national conference, where all city authorities in Uganda will be invited to participate. Lastly, at least two research papers will be published to enrich the growing body of knowledge on data governance in Uganda, the East Africa region, and Africa writ large, with a special focus on the role of data governance in sustainable urbanization. This grant is part of a cluster of grants under the Evidence-Informed Policymaking strategy to strengthen a field of African institutions working on data governance. The goal of this cluster is to help governments in East and West Africa develop policy frameworks that balance public good uses of data with data privacy and protection.