Stories, ideas, and updates from DGers around the world

The HackCorruption team is launching the Civic Tech Tools Repository, a comprehensive, open-source collection of impactful and scalable digital solutions for combating corruption to be used not only by HackCorruption teams but also by any others interested in building or enhancing digital anti-corruption tools. The repository is designed for continuous growth through community contributions via GitHub and is intended to serve as a centralized hub for tools, source code, and resources organized across six key thematic areas.

In multi-country research programs, one of the central challenges is finding the right balance between maintaining consistency across countries and adapting to local contexts that may influence research outcomes. When all participating countries pursue the same research goals, standardization becomes especially important, as it enables tools and protocols that allow for reliable comparisons and generalizable insights.

Strong, data-driven decision-making is critical for transforming the livestock sector and achieving national goals for food security and economic growth. However, we often talk about what is needed to enable strong decisions and the potential outcomes of data-driven decision-making without connecting the dots. What decisions are we actually talking about, between the data on one end and the impact on the other? What does data-driven decision-making actually entail?

Reliable, accessible data is essential for effective tobacco control, enabling policymakers to implement stronger, evidence-based responses to evolving industry tactics and public health challenges. This blog explores how Tobacco Industry strategies hinder effective Tobacco control in Africa, and highlights how stakeholders are harnessing TCDI Data to counter industry interference.

When we discuss food systems, we are not just talking about farms; we are referring to the entire food supply chain. We are talking about how people eat, live, and navigate an increasingly volatile climate. This blog post analyzes Ethiopia's national food systems strategy as an example of where UNFSS can go next in strengthening food security globally.

As governments, funders, entrepreneurs, and technology leaders rally around the AI moment and move towards actions, at Development Gateway, we are asking a different set of questions: Where is the data, and what is the quality of the data behind the algorithms? How will legacy government systems feed AI tools with fresh and usable data? Are Government ministries resourced to govern and trust the AI tools that they are being encouraged to adopt?

This blog draws on DG’s experience in climate, health, aid management, and agriculture to explore connections between the challenges of data collection, data hosting, and data governance across different sectors and what the solutions to overcoming them can teach us about strengthening education data systems.

Development Gateway: An IREX Venture (DG) is pleased to announce the publication of a research manuscript on the Economic Costs of Tobacco-Related Illnesses in Kenya. This research was carried out as part of the Tobacco Control Data Initiative (TCDI) activities in Kenya and is part of a broader report on Morbidity and Mortality from Tobacco Use in Kenya.

For decades, USAID and other US government funding supported global data systems, from health surveys and early warning tools to digital infrastructure for ministries. The abrupt termination of USAID funding has triggered twin crises: a halt to data collection and the undermining of digital systems – reveal existing inefficiencies and instabilities in how data is collected, managed, and shared both within and between countries.

Cashew-IN project came to an end in August 2024 after four years of working with government agencies, producers, traders, processors, and development partners in the five implementing countries to co-create an online tool aimed to inform, support, promote, and strengthen Africa’s cashew industry. This blog outlines some of the key project highlights, including some of the challenges we faced, lessons learned, success stories, and identified opportunities for a more competitive cashew sector in West Africa.