FABIENNE RAFIDIHARINIRINA
"I dream of a world where everyone can have access to the data they need in order to realize their professional projects and their ambitions."
DataMad Channel collects and shares data through stories on different SDGs to foster a data culture among Malgasy society and influence policymakers.
While the world is seeing a deep digital transformation, we have yet to nurture a culture where data is used to improve people’s lives. In Madagascar particularly, it’s hard for citizens to understand the place of data in development or policy making. Furthermore, the government haven’t yet established an Open Data charter in the country, and they often use the lack of a charter as an excuse not to make their data available.Since January 2018, my organization Association Maidi has been collecting available data and publishing it under a Creative Commons licence on Openstat Madagascar, the first open data platform by civil society. With support from the Goalkeepers Youth Action Accelerator, we are now producing video stories to influence public opinion as well as policy makers. They will all be published in DataMad Channel and they will be specifically aimed at promoting the implementation of the SDGs. We will use innovative data visualization techniques, and in order to ensure balance, we will use data produced by diverse sources.
This project will serve three main objectives:
- Fostering a culture of data in Malagasy society. Increasing government accountability by encouraging citizens to demand clear and reliable data from the Government.
- Increasing the expertise and willingness of the government to systematically collect, process and publish relevant data.
- Improving the amount and quality of national statistics that are made accessible to the public.
