Science granting councils are national agencies that coordinate research funding and set research priorities to support sustainable growth in countries. In Africa, these agencies support scientists, foster partnerships and work to ensure that robust evidence informs the design, implementation and monitoring of policies that harness and steer science, technology and innovation towards development priorities. The HSRC and its partners have been supporting councils to strengthen the use of data as evidence for policy and decision making.

Advances in science, technology and innovation (STI) play an important role in achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aim to address global challenges of poverty, health, energy efficiency and food security. STI is particularly critical to address the African continent’s unique developmental challenges, including rapid population growth, climate change and economic inequality.

Science granting councils (SGCs) in Africa are national agencies that fund and coordinate research, innovation and science-driven development. They set research priorities, support scientists and foster partnerships to advance evidence-based policies and sustainable growth. SGCs are increasingly called upon to support their countries to drive the African Union’s (AU) Agenda 2063 and the Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa 2034 (STISA-2034), and strive towards attaining global SDGs.

A key role of SGCs is to inform the design, implementation and monitoring of policies that harness and steer STI to achieve distinctive national development priorities. For this role, SGCs rely on data on research trends, funding gaps and emerging opportunities to shape effective STI strategies. Data sources that inform STI policies include grant management, research and experimental development (R&D) and innovation survey data.

Monitoring the effects of STI policies, therefore, requires robust data governance frameworks that can ensure the integrity, security and usability of the data. Data governance is a comprehensive approach to managing an organisation’s data assets. It involves the collection of processes, policies, roles, metrics and standards that ensure the effective and efficient use of information. The primary goals of data governance are to maintain data quality, security and availability throughout the data lifecycle. Proper data governance enables better decision making and more efficient service delivery.

However, the efforts of many SGCs in African countries are often hindered by weak institutional structures and inadequate data-management capabilities. With accurate and reliable data, public institutions can design and implement policies that more effectively address the country’s socioeconomic development needs. Without effective governance, data may be vulnerable to inaccuracies, misuse and manipulation, leading to misguided policy decisions and wasted resources.

Participants engage in dynamic discussions during the HSRC’s recent Data for Policy workshop, where experts and stakeholders gathered to enhance data governance for evidence-based policymaking. Photo: HSRC

Continental challenges

In this context, calls for data governance frameworks consider Africa’s unique characteristics, while addressing gaps in digital transformation capabilities and the need for cross-country data sharing. The AU’s Data Policy Framework 2022 is a step towards creating such a framework: it promotes good data governance that supports national organisations to make informed decisions, comply with regulations and protect sensitive information, while enabling the flow of data across the continent.

The AU Data Policy Framework 2022 was developed to address several challenges:

• Fragmented data sources: Data collection methods across African countries are often inconsistent, leading to fragmented and incomparable datasets. This fragmentation makes it difficult to combine data for regional or continental analysis.
• Inadequate legal and regulatory frameworks: Many African countries lack the necessary legal frameworks to ensure data privacy, security and ethical use. This gap undermines trust in data systems and hampers cross-border data sharing.
• Limited infrastructure and funding: Inadequate infrastructure and limited funding for data initiatives are important barriers to effective data management. Many countries struggle with outdated technology and insufficient resources to invest in modern data systems.
• Digital divide: The digital divide within Africa worsens these challenges, as some regions have limited access to technology and internet connectivity. This inequality complicates efforts to share and integrate data across the continent.
• Lack of collaboration: There is often a lack of collaboration among institutions and stakeholders, leading to competition rather than cooperation in data generation and usage. The lack of a collaborative approach undermines the potential for data-driven policymaking and sustainable development.

HSRC’s response

The HSRC has been at the forefront of efforts to strengthen data governance in Africa, through a multilateral partnership with the Trilateral Research Chair in Transformative Innovation, the 4th Industrial Revolution and Sustainable Development at the University of Johannesburg; the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) in Kenya; and the Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar (UCAD) in Senegal. This partnership leads a project, Evidence for Policymaking (Evi-Pol), which aims to strengthen the capacity of African SGCs to use evidence for policy and decision making.

Through Evi-Pol, the HSRC’s Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators (CeSTII) has developed a comprehensive toolkit containing a framework and maturity assessment model to strengthen data governance practices in African SGCs. The Evi-Pol team held masterclasses and workshops on data governance, on the use of the toolkit and its component templates, and, in collaboration with Statistics South Africa, on quality frameworks like the South African Statistical Quality Assessment Framework II (SASQAF-II). The team also arranged hands-on sessions to assess each SGC’s data governance maturity and draft action plans to improve data governance.

Outcomes and impact

Through such a series of strategic initiatives, the Evi-Pol project aims to improve data-management practices, but also to strengthen evidence for policymaking and to foster greater collaboration among stakeholders. Here are the key outcomes and their impacts:

• Improved data governance: The development and implementation of a comprehensive Data Governance Toolkit have equipped SGCs with a structured approach to managing and utilising data effectively. This promotes the establishment of more robust data governance frameworks within these councils, enhancing their overall operational efficiency.
• Enhanced decision making: By advocating for the integration of evidence in policymaking, the Evi-Pol project aims to empower SGCs to formulate more informed and effective STI policies by improving data quality, in turn, resulting in the more efficient management of research funding, and ultimately addressing the priority development needs of their respective countries.
• Capability building: Through a series of workshops and masterclasses, the HSRC has delivered training designed to strengthen data governance. These sessions have aimed to enhance the technical proficiency of SGC staff, enabling them to better manage data and contribute more effectively to policy development and implementation.
• Strengthened collaboration: The project has facilitated greater collaboration among various African institutions, including SGCs, national statistical departments and stakeholders within the National System of Innovation (NSI). This fosters the exchange of best practices and the creation of more cohesive and integrated data governance systems, strengthening both national and regional networks.

Conclusion

The importance of strong data governance in Africa cannot be overstated. As the continent continues to face complex developmental challenges, the need for accurate, reliable and actionable STI data has never been greater. Through its innovative initiatives and partnerships, the HSRC is playing a critical role in strengthening data governance practices across African SGCs, enabling them to make informed policy decisions that drive sustainable development.

The Evi-Pol project engagements promote the use and uptake of the HSRC-developed set of toolkits and guides, which has already begun to produce positive outcomes, including improved data governance maturity, enhanced collaboration and more effective policymaking. However, much work still needs to be done. Continued investment in data governance infrastructure, capacity building and collaboration will be essential to ensure that Africa can fully leverage the power of STI data to achieve its developmental goals.

As Africa moves forward on its path to sustainable development, the work of the HSRC and its partners will remain critical in ensuring that the continent’s STI data are governed effectively, enabling evidence-based policymaking that drives innovation, economic growth and social equity.

Research contacts and acknowledgement 

This article was written by Darryn Whisgary, a research manager (dwhisgary@hsrc.ac.za), and Lebogang Khoza, a PhD research trainee (lkhoza@hsrc.ac.za), at the HSRC’s Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators (CeSTII).

The research team on this project also includes Dr Glenda Kruss (acting divisional head of the HSRC’s Research, Development, Science and Innovation Division) Dr Abiodun Egbetokun (HSRC visiting research scholar, De Montfort University, United Kingdom), Dr Mbongeni Maziya, (collaborative partner, University of Venda), and also from CeSTII, Dr Nazeem Mustapha, Dr Il-haam Petersen, Dr Yasser Buchana, Gerard Ralphs, Natalie Vlotman, Dr Atoko Kasongo, Dr Mario Clayford, Dr Nicole van Rheede, Pilela Majokweni, Mbali Bongoza, Setsoheng Mayeki, Natasha Saunders, and Rory Liedeman