NAN-HE- 15
Portal
By Cecilia Ologunagba
Abuja, Nov. 18, 2016 (NAN) The Mo Ibrahim Foundation has inaugurated a new online Data Portal, Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG), to provides an advanced and interactive tool for further analysis of governance in Africa.
This is contained in a statement issued by the foundation in London and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday.
The statement said that the portal would provide unprecedented access to 15 years of data, crucial to assessing the quality of governance in African countries.
According to the statement, the portal was launched to commemorate African Statistics Day, celebrated in the region every Nov.18 to promote awareness about the important role of statistics in the society.
“The Data Portal is freely available online. It will serve as an interactive platform for in-depth analysis and review of governance performance across Africa.
“The Data Portal reinforces the foundation’s commitment to strengthening the availability and use of data in Africa.
“Through its specially designed digital format, the Data Portal provides access to the most comprehensive collection of data on African governance to policymakers, businesses, academics and civil society.’’
The statement quoted Abdalla Hamdok, Chair of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation Advisory Council and Acting Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), as describing the portal as friendly.
“Portal is a powerful tool that allows anyone who is interested in African governance to make their own assessments using its 95 individual measures of governance.
“With it, anyone can build on the analysis conducted by the Foundation and produce new and unique findings from the data.
“We hope that the ability to conduct research of this kind will be invaluable to those seeking to identify solutions to the challenges confronting African nations today.”
The statement further quoted, Mo Ibrahim, Chair of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation as saying that the portal would support efforts to improve governance in the continent.
“It will strengthen the African national statistical offices; the robustness and availability of data is crucial to unlocking the continent’s potential.
“It is a matter of ownership, of identity and of sovereignty. Without sound national data, there is no way you can define adequate public policies nor measure their outcomes.
“Giving free access to data is about empowering people.
“It is less eye-catching than building a hospital or a school but it is a smart way to ensure that more hospitals and schools are delivered more effectively and efficiently.
“I’m delighted that the Foundation can play its part in taking forward Africa’s data revolution, and I hope that our new Data Portal will support efforts to improve governance on the continent.”
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Mo Ibrahim Foundation was established in 2006 with a focus on the critical importance of leadership and governance in Africa.
It was founded by Dr. Mo Ibrahim, a Sudanese philanthropist and businessman who founded telecommunications company, Celtel International in 1998. (NAN)
CIA/GOM/YAZ
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Edited by Gregory Mmaduakolam/Yusuf Zango