Kenya wins bid to host the International Open Data Conference in 2020

Closing ceremony of the 5th IODC 2018 held in Buenos Aires:Pic: Photo Courtesy

Kenya wins bid to host the International Open Data Conference in 2020

Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sept 30 –  The 6th International Open Data Conference (IODC) will be held in Nairobi in 2020 marking the first time Africa will host the data meeting.

The Announcement was made at the closing ceremony of the 5th IODC 2018 held in Buenos Aires, organized by the Government of Argentina, the World Bank, IDRC and OD4D with the support of Google, amongst others.

Commenting after the announcement, Deputy President William Ruto said the government is committed to the creation of an inclusive data ecosystem involving the public and the private sector, academia, civil society, local communities, and development partners that tackles the information aspects of development decision-making.

“We recognize that if Kenya is to move ahead, we must deliberately pursue collaboration between the government, academia, and entrepreneurs. It is no longer an issue of political will, but a matter of rational economic and political choice,” said Ruto in a statement.

Undersecretary for Public Innovation and Open Government, Rudi Borrmann, said, “This will be an excellent opportunity to share lessons learnt on hosting such an auspicious gathering with Kenya, but most importantly, a practical opportunity to strengthen the South-South Collaboration. We look forward to advising and working with the Government of Kenya in the successful hosting of IODC in 2020.”

The theme of the International Open Data Conference in 2020 will be “Bridging Data Communities” a vision that received a resounding endorsement by participants, noting the significance of the year 2020, that will mark, five years after the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement (PARIS21), as well as the 5th anniversary of the Africa Agenda 2063 and 25 years since the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA).

The 2020 conference is expected to bring over 3000 participants to Nairobi from over 100 countries. Additionally, over 50 tech international tech companies are expected to participate, exhibit and hopefully invest in Africa’s burgeoning innovation spaces.