IJR DGAP team

The Data for Governance Alliance Project (DGAP) team, in pursuit of strengthening the implementation of Agenda 2063 and promoting democracy, governance, and human and people’s rights in Africa attended a number of the African Union’s in person events to popularise the project and build relations with these organs and other civil society organisations. The team firstly attended and participated in the Day of the African Child that was hosted by (ACERWC) in Maseru, Lesotho in June under the theme “Eliminating Harmful Practices Affecting Children: Progress on Policy and Practice since 2013”. The Data for Governance Alliance took part in the ACERWC’s high level the symposium, which discussed on harmful practices affecting children, shared the latest findings and data on the protection and promotion of the wellbeing of vulnerable children in Africa.

From Maseru, the DGAP, at the invitation of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), also attended the 3rd Youth Symposium in Kampala, Uganda which was running under the theme, “AU@20: Repositioning the Youth Agenda for a Transformative Continent”. At this symposium the project leader, Nyasha Mpani, participated in the validation of the (APRM) Toolkit on youth participation in governance and development processes. Firstly, the toolkit will provide APRM participating countries with a format that can serve as a CHECKLIST to determine whether the various stakeholders participating in the process have responded to commonly agreed youth concerns. Secondly, it will offer a convenient summary that provides an overview of RESULTS and RECOMMENDATIONS to APRM participating countries own self-assessment processes on YOUTH PARTICIPATION & EMPOWERMENT. The DGAP will be looking into how best it can assist APRM in measuring the 15 key areas that the toolkit will seek to measure. Furthermore, issues to do with youth unemployment in Africa and the nexus between Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and unemployment, climate change and climate justice together with migration and youth in peace and security were also deliberated on.

The DGAP then travelled from Kampala, to attend the citizens’ forum on democracy and unconstitutional changes of government in Africa hosted by the Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) in Lusaka Zambia. At the forum the Data for Governance Alliance consortium presented its data on the role of citizen polling in building democratic resilience. The DGAP was delighted with the forum’s outcome document which captured the importance of the project’s work in making use of data to amplify citizen’s voices, perspectives and opinions on challenges and solutions to address unconstitutional changes of governments in Africa.

Currently, the DGAP is in the process of planning the first physical regional trainings on Governance, Democracy and Human Rights in Africa in all three regions. The first training is taking place in Accra, Ghana on 19 – 23 September 2022, at the Fiesta Royal Hotel and the second one in Cape Town, South Africa on 3-7 October 2022, at The Capital, 15 on Orange Hotel. Preparations for these trainings are now at an advanced stage with the majority of the delegates having confirmed their attendance. The East Africa training in Nairobi, Kenya has had to be postponed to 17 – 21 October due to the ongoing presidential election stalemate in that country. Details regarding this training will be shared in due course. In addition, the project is currently accepting applications for the AB English Summer school (2-26 November) which will take place at the University of Pretoria. Post-graduate students and researchers from government, non-governmental organisations, and the private sector, with an interest in African governance and democracy, are encouraged to apply.

Nyasha Mpani, Project Leader for the Data for Governance Alliance Project