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Back in 2013, Tanzania’s health authorities trialled a program which allowed parents to register and be issued birth certificates for newborns via their mobile phones. It is a simple process, ramped up earlier this year, that works when a health worker sends an SMS with the baby’s name, gender, date of birth and family details to a central database managed by a state agency in real time.
At the most basic level, Tanzania is doing this is to improve data about its own population. And it is far from alone, only 56% of countries worldwide have birth registration data that is 90% complete. In sub Saharan Africa just 15% of countries have this data.
As we note regularly, many developing countries are hampered by a lack of even the most basic data about their population, so much so development agencies and NGOs become frustrated with the paucity of information. Most of these organizations are expected, more than ever before, to be accountable when it comes to spending donor funds and providing evidence of results or impact.
This is one of reasons the OECD is pushing for wealthier nations to target more of their aid to improving statistical systems in developing countries. It believes the lack of reliable data makes it difficult to measure the “impact of development cooperation and where to focus future investments.”
Still, as with the Tanzania example, technology is helping to improve data collection methodology. Some countries are starting to catch up in the so-called data revolution including Ethiopia, South Africa and Uganda.
As with many major development initiatives, national governments have a role to play to help drive this forward. The OECD recommends countries implement statistical laws, regulations and standards that all parties can trust and rely on and improve both the quantity and quality of financing for statistical initiatives. That distinction between quantity and quality is important as the OECD report argues increasing development aid alone will not guarantee success. It says the financing should reduce duplication, target investments where needs are greatest and ensure everyone’s needs are counted and aligned to the recipient country’s priorities.
Donor countries could increase development aid by just $200 million a year to help poor countries build their statistics capacity, according to the report. As every player in the development supply chain becomes more beholden to data to do their work, the expectation is more developing countries, particularly in sub Saharan Africa, will need to prioritize improving statistics collection and analysis. But many will need support.
— Yinka Adegoke, Quartz Africa editor
Stories from this week
There’s more to homegrown African literature than just what western publishers favor. African writing is often categorized as either targeting a Western audience or geared towards local consumption. Jeanne-Marie Jackson argues that there’s a new body of work from African writers living on the continent which is also gaining traction with independent publishing houses in the West.
How Somalis responded to the deadliest terror attack ever in Somalia. When a truck bomb exploded in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, young techies stepped in to create platforms that would help track, identify, and aid the victims. Abdi Latif Dahir writes on how the collective rage over the attacks also pushed many Somalis to rethink how to respond to this tragedy and stand up for their country.
These rare photos capture an ancient kingdom during Nigeria’s transition to independence. From the 1930s, Solomon Osagie Alonge was the official photographer for the Royal Court of Benin, the ancient kingdom of southern Nigeria. Those portraits, which recently returned to Nigeria, showcase the influences shaping 20th century Nigeria.
Mozambique’s forgotten “East Germans” are still waiting for their pay. Three decades ago, 20,000 Mozambicans were taken to East Germany to work and gain skills, only to realize they were being used to pay off a national debt. In the capital Maputo, Sami Kent finds the middle-aged men still protesting unpaid dues from a country that no longer exists.
China’s aid to Africa is more complicated than we thought. Chinese aid to Africa has been dubbed as “rogue,” stifling real progress and democratic processes alike. And while the value of this assistance is touted as significant, a new study shows that it isn’t as much or as controversial as we thought, writes Lily Kuo.
Millennials seeking adventure are driving Airbnb’s growth in Africa. More than two million people found accommodation through Airbnb in Africa in the last five years. As Lynsey Chutel explains, the online service’s growth is being driven by international tourists seeking an experience over hotel conveniences.
Chart of the week
Language and borders still sway how academics write about Africa. In international media outlets, a narrow coverage of Africa still persists with some even thinking of the continent as a country. But as new research shows, colonialism has influence even over academics writing for prestigious journals.
Other Things We Liked
Donald Trump’s war on African women. In his first weeks in office, Donald Trump reinstated the Global Gag Rule policy, which banned US funding to overseas health groups performing abortions. Reporting from Ethiopia for Longreads, Annie Hylton writes on how Trump’s funding cuts to women’s healthcare jeopardize the lives of women across the African continent.
Commercial farming in Zambia is putting citizens’ lives at risk. Zambia’s government is promoting large-scale agriculture in order to combat poverty and diversify the economy. Yet these commercial farms are resulting in forced evictions, pushing communities away from water sources, and helping deepen rural poverty, writes Juliana Nnoko-Mewanu.
The rise of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the humanist. Over the last few years, the Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has achieved universal fame with her novels and essays about Nigeria, life, gender, and race. For the New York Times’ The Greats Issue, Dave Eggers writes about the author turned public intellectual.
Keep an eye on
South Africa’s finance minister’s first budget (Oct. 25). South Africa’s minister of finance Malusi Gigaba is expected to announce the country’s medium-term policy budget on Wednesday. This will be Gigaba’s maiden statement since coming into office in early March, following president Jacob Zuma’s controversial cabinet reshuffle.
Kenya’s presidential election redo (Oct. 26). Despite a deepening political crisis, Kenya is set to hold a presidential election rerun on Thursday. The poll is being held even as the chief executive of the electoral commission has gone on leave, with another commissioner resigning and fleeing the country.
Our best wishes for a productive and thought-filled week ahead. Please send any news, comments, suggestions, best Airbnb African cities and favorite homegrown African literature to africa@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter at @qzafrica for updates throughout the day.
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