The false economy of Statistics Botswana incapacity

The Open Data Barometer (ODB) global report released recently says that Botswana has been lumped into a cluster of ‘capacity constrained’ countries that are facing challenges in establishing sustainable open data initiatives as a result of limited government or civil society capacity.

Open data refers to data that is proactively published, and made available without charge, in readable file formats and without restrictions on use. While there is a willingness to make government data available in Botswana, observers say in practice, availability is constrained by lack of resources, as Statistics Botswana is terribly under-resourced in relation to what is required.