September 26, 2023

Kenya News Agency

The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with TradeMark Africa to partner on the Agriculture Sector Data Gateway (ASDG).

During the event, Kello Harsama, Principal Secretary of Crop Development who signed MOU on behalf of the Ministry, emphasised that this initiative will provide real-time information to a wide range of stakeholders, including policymakers, farmers, the private sector, donors, and researchers.

He said the move will keep stakeholders more informed on the decision-making process, foster overall growth in the agricultural sector, and contribute to the advancement of digital government services in a wider vision for efficient citizen service delivery.

Harsama also highlighted that the collaboration will focus on developing additional registries and integrating with key ministry data platforms like the Kenya Integrated Agriculture Management Information System (KIAMIS).

This integration will enable the expansion of modules and use cases and promote data system integration at both national and county government levels. The goal is to fully harness the potential of the platform to transform the agricultural sector and ensure data-driven decision-making in priority initiatives.

Furthermore, the corporation will work towards the adoption of a Data Governance Framework, facilitating seamless data exchange among stakeholders to drive the transformation of the agriculture sector. Additionally, they will provide training and capacity-building for data stewards and key stakeholders to facilitate the handover to custodians and operationalise the platform at both county and national levels.

Harsama also mentioned that the ASDG is evolving into a comprehensive “one-stop-shop” for quality agriculture sector data. It is currently undergoing integration with other key data systems, including KILIMOSTAT, to enable open data access for stakeholders and support various initiatives aimed at improving agricultural productivity. The platform is hosted at the KALRO Data Center and is undergoing expansion through collaboration with KALRO’s team and technical assistance from development partners, which include GIZ, TradeMark Africa, and the Tony Blair Institute (TBI).

Harsama thanked TradeMark Africa and Tony Blair Institute for their commitment to aligning their priorities with the Kenya Kwanza Manifesto on Agriculture. He assured them of the government’s commitment to closely collaborate with such stakeholders to pave the way for a prosperous and food-secure future nation.

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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of TradeMark Africa.