Afrobarometer is set to host a side-event session titled “Building Sustainable, Home-Grown Data Sources on Africa by Africans” at the 2025 Ibrahim Governance Weekend in Marrakech, Morocco, on June 3, 2025, from 16:00 to 17:30 local time.
As highlighted in the 2024 Ibrahim Index of African Governance, Africa faces significant challenges related to data availability and quality, impacting governance and development efforts. Many countries experience major data gaps, which obstruct trend analysis and policy-making, particularly concerning SDG16-related indicators. Moreover, underfunded national statistics offices struggle to provide reliable data essential for effective decision-making.
This session will explore the critical role of civil society, academic institutions, and nonprofit organisations in bridging these data gaps. By generating contextualised and citizen-driven insights, entities like Afrobarometer and its partners contribute invaluable data for public policy and development. However, challenges remain in scaling these efforts and ensuring that data quality meets the evolving demands of governance and AI technologies.
Join the live stream here: mif.live/igw
Confirmed speakers
Amina Oyagbola
Board chair, Afrobarometer
Amina Oyagbola is the board chair at Afrobarometer and an independent director and business management consultant with over 35 years of experience. Her career spans legal practice, human resources, and corporate services, including serving as an executive at MTN Nigeria. She is the managing consultant of AKMS Consulting Ltd., a senior partner at Oyagbola Chambers, and a Chevening Scholar. Amina is also the founder and chairperson of WISCAR, a mentoring and leadership initiative for professional women, and a fellow of both the Africa Leadership Initiative – West Africa and the Aspen Global Leadership Network. In 2023, she was appointed to Nigeria’s Presidential Council on Support to Women and Girls.
Gyimah-Boadi
Senior adviser and emeritus board chair, Afrobarometer
Gyimah-Boadi is senior adviser and emeritus board chair of Afrobarometer, which he co-founded and led as chief executive from 2008 to 2021. He is also the founder and former executive director of the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana). A former professor at the University of Ghana, Legon, he has held fellowships and teaching positions at institutions including American University, the Woodrow Wilson Center, and the U.S. Institute of Peace. His honors include the 2017 Martin Luther King, Jr. Award for Peace and Social Justice, and being named one of New African‘s “100 Most Influential Africans” in 2021.
Joseph Asunka
CEO, Afrobarometer
Joseph Asunka has served as CEO of Afrobarometer since April 2021. Prior to this, he was a program officer at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, where he managed grants focused on fiscal governance, accountability, and citizen participation in developing countries. He has also lectured in political science at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and previously worked with the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) and Afrobarometer as data manager. His research focuses on distributive politics, elections, and migration. He holds a PhD in political science from UCLA.
Nathalie Delapalme
CEO, Mo Ibrahim Foundation
Nathalie Delapalme is the Chief Executive Officer of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, which she joined in 2010. Prior to this, she served as Inspecteur General des Finances at the French Ministry of Economy and Finance and held advisory roles on Africa and development for several French Foreign Affairs Ministers. She also worked at the French Senate as an advisor on finance and budgetary policy. She is Co-Secretary General of the Africa-Europe Foundation, sits on the Board of the International Crisis Group, and is a member of the European Council on Foreign Relations. Nathalie has been decorated as Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur and Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite.
Karen Pfundt
Head of Division, Policy Issues of Cooperation with Africa- Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Karen Pfundt is Head of the Division, Policy Issues of Cooperation with Africa at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), a position she has held since June 2022. Prior to this, she served as Chief of Staff to former Federal President Horst Köhler. Her career includes extensive experience in political communication and international cooperation, including leadership roles within BMZ and the Office of the Federal President. From 2004 to 2014, she was a speechwriter at the Federal President’s Office, following a decade-long career as a freelance radio journalist with DeutschlandRadio Berlin.
Daniel Kaufmann
Senior Fellow, Results for Development & the Brookings Institution
Daniel Kaufmann is President Emeritus of the Natural Resource Governance Institute and a leading expert on governance, anti-corruption, and natural resource management. He is currently a senior fellow at Results for Development (R4D) and a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. He previously served as a director at the World Bank and has been in high-level expert commissions such as the OECD, EITI, and the Mo Ibrahim Foundation. He co-developed key global indicators, including the Worldwide Governance Indicators and the Resource Governance Index. Daniel holds a PhD in Economics from Harvard University.