Data sharing in and for Africa

Data accessibility, including the ability to make data shareable, is important for knowledge creation, scientific learning, and progress. In many locations, including Africa, data is a central engine for economic growth and there have been recent calls to increase data access and sharability by organizations including the UN, AU, and many others. Discussions around data inaccessibility, however, revolve around lack of resources, human capital, and advanced technologies, hiding the complex and dynamic data ecosystem and intricate challenges faced in sharing data across the continent. In this piece, we shed light on these overlooked issues around data inaccessibility and sharing within the continent using a storytelling perspective. Using the perspectives of multiple stakeholders, we surface tensions and trade-offs that are that are inadequately captured in current discussions around data accessibility in the continent.