7.7 Responsible Data Governance in M&E in the African Context report

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• What is it about?
• Why will this resource be useful to you?
• Why is this resource particularly interesting?

What is it about?

This guide aims at strengthening capacities in M&E and digital approaches, to enhance Responsible Data in Monitoring and Evaluation. It focuses on data privacy and security, and emerging data regulations with a particular interest in the African context. This report, published by the organizations CLEAR-AA and MERL Tech, is split in 2 parts:

• Part 1 - Overview of Data Governance: Focuses on theoretical aspects of data governance, including - but not restricted to - the handling of personal and sensitive data, M&E practices and Africa’s data ecosystem.
• Part 2 - Guidance for Responsible Data Governance in Monitoring and Evaluation: Provides guidance on how M&E practitioners can more responsibly manage data in their practices. Both parts are meant to help M&E practitioners to incorporate good data management and data protection practices into their existing guides, practices and internal policies. The practical approach in the second part of this guide provides concrete examples on how to manage data ethically and responsibly at every stage of the data life cycle journey:
• Stage 1 - Design and planning: Includes guidance on legal aspects, data sharing plans, risk benefit assessment and budgeting.
• Stage 2 – Data collection and acquisition: Provides guidance on evaluating the risks-benefits of data collection, data minimization, informed consent and ethical considerations.
• Stage 3 – M&E data transmission and storage: Provides information on data security during transmission and storage and data breach protocols.
• Stage 4 – M&E data cleaning, analysis and use: Provides guidance on data quality standards, data anonymization and other responsible data processes.
• Stage 5 – Data sharing and open data: Provides guidance on establishing Data Sharing Agreements (DSA).
• Stage 6 – M&E data visualization and communication: Helps you to identify the audience requirements and to design data visualizations that avoid biased interpretations, and that suits to the intended objectives of the visualization.
• Stage 7 – Data retention, maintenance and destruction: Insists on the importance of managing personal and sensitive data carefully throughout the whole data life cycle journey (from collection to aggregation, anonymization or deletion).

Why will this resource be useful to you?

• As a guide to establish a Data Sharing Agreement (DSA), based on different distinct roles that individual entities play.
• As a reference document to understand the evolution of data governance and data legislation in the African context, and to compare them with other laws, such as the GDPR.
• To learn about and help you implement data protection measures at every stage of the data life cycle.
• As a tip sheet for important considerations in terms of responsible data management: data subject rights, lawful bases for data collection and processing, informed consent, measures to protect data in transmission and storage, roles and responsibilities of different parties handling data.
• As a guide to develop a data breach protocol.

Why is this resource particularly interesting?

• Takes the African contextual reality into account: States with heterogeneous levels of data governance capacity, different levels of data regulation, new emerging laws in terms of data protection.
• Includes examples of M&E practices of various African actors (Dealing with missing data, Designing and planning a government evaluation, etc.).
• Provides guidelines and tip sheets to help you implement responsible data practices for M&E at all stages of the data life cycle.
• Provides links to useful templates (Data Privacy Impact Assessment (DPIA), risk-assessment framework, etc.).
• These guides are being reviewed on a regular basis to include updates.