Our mission
DataFirst is committed to advancing data access and use for development in Africa. We promote open access to high-quality African microdata and support evidence-informed decision-making through data curation, research, and training. By working with data producers and users, we aim to strengthen data ecosystems across the continent. Our goal is to make African data more usable, accessible, and impactful.
Latest news
Call for Submissions: Wilson Wittenberg Prize for Data-Driven Research
To honour the legacy of Francis Wilson and Martin Wittenberg, two annual prizes of R10 000.00 each are awarded for outstanding research that makes innovative use of publicly available data. Closing date for submissions is 13 September 2026.
Read more
DataFirst at the CESSDA 50th Anniversary Conference
Lynn Woolfrey was invited to present on our data service at the prestigious 50th Anniversary Conference of the Consortium of European Social Science Data Archives (CESSDA) in Bergen, Norway in June.
Read more
Rescuing USAID Education Data
On 7 August 2025, we co-hosted a data rescue event with RDAP and the ICPSR. More than 100 volunteers joined the hackathon, working collectively to prepare files for public release.
Read more