By:
Nana Appiah Acquaye
The
Global Data Festival and Kenya Space Expo & Conference in Nairobi has
underscored the urgent need for increased financing of national data systems,
with stakeholders warning that underinvestment continues to undermine effective
development planning across Africa.
Speaking
during the high-level convening, Kenya’s Special Envoy on Technology,
Ambassador Philip Thigo, emphasized that despite the central role of data in
governance and development, most national statistical and data infrastructures
remain significantly underfunded. He noted that this financing gap persists
even though trusted, timely and usable data is essential for all major
development decisions.
Ambassador
Thigo stressed that countries cannot achieve their development ambitions
without strengthening the financial foundations of their data ecosystems. He
pointed out that reliable data systems are critical for planning, monitoring
public services, and guiding investment decisions in sectors such as
agriculture, health, climate adaptation and infrastructure.
The
event brought together more than 1,000 delegates from over 60 countries,
including government officials, development partners, industry leaders,
researchers and civil society actors, to explore how data and space
technologies can accelerate sustainable development.
The
discussions form part of broader efforts to strengthen global cooperation on
data governance and to close persistent gaps in data financing, capacity and
infrastructure across developing economies.
