By Dr Benjamin Kwasi Addom
Data’s role in the digital age
Data is central to global discussions on digital transformation, digital public infrastructure (DPI), and artificial intelligence (AI). Over recent decades, significant investments have been directed towards data management – covering acquisition, storage, aggregation, processing, analysis, and sharing – to improve decision-making. Initiatives such as the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data and the expanding focus on Digital public infrastructure (DPI) are vital for developing country-level data coordination frameworks.
In agriculture, private-sector investments have poured into the data value chain. Public-sector efforts, including Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition (GODAN), the CGIAR Platform for Big Data in Agriculture, the 50 by 2030 initiative led by the World Bank, and Geodata for Agriculture and Water (G4AW) led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Netherlands, underscore the global commitment to leveraging data for progress.
Building from the bottom up
Realising the potential of these efforts requires a bottom-up approach to data management. This strategy entails:
- Integrating existing investments at the national level to create regional and global infrastructures.
- Validating datasets within countries using agreed methodologies to ensure quality.
- Reducing duplication by coordinating efforts to maximise efficiency.
A national framework, uniting public and private sector stakeholders, is essential for this approach to succeed.
Lessons from road infrastructure
National road systems offer a useful analogy. While technologies like tarmac are standardised, regulations such as speed limits and tolls vary by country. Drivers must adhere to these unique rules while enjoying cross-border compatibility, such as driving seamlessly from South Africa to Mozambique.
Similarly, national data infrastructures should maintain sovereignty while supporting interoperability, creating regional and global “data superhighways” to enable efficient data flow.
The vision for national data spaces
National data spaces must embody the following principles:
- Secure, Decentralised, and Interoperable Systems: National spaces should use secure, decentralised technologies to facilitate seamless data exchange, adhering to DPI principles and standards.
- Robust Data Policies: Comprehensive national and global policies are essential to create secure, accessible data infrastructures. These policies should balance the needs of individual nations with global alignment.
- Independent Governance: Transparent governance structures are critical to building trust. Governments must lead these initiatives while delegating operational responsibilities to neutral entities. Credit bureau models offer valuable lessons.
- Sustainable Business Models: Sustainability depends on sound financial strategies, resource mobilisation, and a collaborative approach to infrastructure development. Partnerships, rather than single-entity initiatives, are key to success.
The Commonwealth Secretariat, through its Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda for Trade and Investment, provides a framework for countries to adopt such principles. The National Agricultural Data Infrastructure (NAgDI) initiative empowers governments to create environments where private sector stakeholders contribute to national and global goals. This ensures that data investments deliver sustainable benefits while preserving sovereignty.
- Read the first blog in the series: EUDR – A Lesson for Commonwealth Countries to Embrace a National Approach to Data Management
- Dr Benjamin Kwasi Addom, Adviser, Agriculture & Fisheries Trade Policy, Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda, Commonwealth Secretariat.
