Capacitação em Governança de Dados para Decisores Africanos

Welcome to your course on Data Governance Capacity Building for African Policymakers!

This course is designed for policymakers, regulators and public-sector leaders who are responsible for how their country governs data. Most data governance efforts fail not because the laws are missing, but because there is too little capacity to put them into practice. Strong rules on paper mean little without the people, institutions and shared standards that make them real. This course flips the emphasis: it treats capacity, leadership and durable institutions as the foundation, and law as one instrument among several that must be made to work in your own context.

The curriculum introduces the foundations of data governance (governance versus management, data sovereignty, and national data-protection authorities), then walks the continental policy instruments that frame the field across Africa (the AU Data Policy Framework, the Malabo Convention and Agenda 2063). You will compare governance approaches (localisation, open data and cross-border flows), examine Digital Public Infrastructure and data maturity, and close on emerging issues including AI governance, algorithmic bias and Africa's voice in global data forums.

By mastering these concepts, you will be equipped to assess your country's readiness, choose a governance approach that fits its context, and build the lasting capacity that turns data policy into practice.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Distinguish data governance from data management and explain why capacity, not law alone, determines whether governance works.
• Navigate the main continental instruments (the AU Data Policy Framework, the Malabo Convention and Agenda 2063) and how they apply in your country.
• Compare governance approaches, including data sovereignty, localisation, open data and cross-border flows, and weigh their trade-offs.
• Assess Digital Public Infrastructure, interoperability and data maturity, and the procurement choices that shape them.
• Evaluate emerging issues such as AI governance and algorithmic bias, and propose a practical, context-fit data governance recommendation.

Who is this course for?

This course is designed for policymakers, regulators, and public-sector data leaders across Africa. It is highly beneficial for individuals who are:

• Responsible for data policy, data protection, or digital transformation in government.
• Involved in building the institutions, standards, and skills that make data governance work in practice.
• Seeking to strengthen national capacity and represent their country in regional and global data forums.