Kenya: World Bank Thumbs Up Open Data Move

World Bank Group Managing Director Caroline Anstey has lauded the government for opening up access to State information through the Kenya Open Data Initiative (KODI). She said the initiative that was launched by President Mwai Kibaki in July last year grants citizens access to information which ultimately spreads knowledge, creating transparency and accountability.

"Opening up data is never easy and it can be frightening to many people," she said. "It's essentially saying that you're letting go a little bit of your control, you're changing the balance of power and you're beginning to recognize that others have the right to know," Anstey said.

Speaking on a panel that included Information Permanent Secretary Dr Bitange Ndemo, ICT Board CEO Paul Kukubo, Research Lead and Manager at iHub Jessica Colaco and founder of iLabAfrica Dr. Joseph Sevilla, Anstey said the movement towards open data takes a leap of faith. "I think the world has come to realise that we need to democratise development and we need to bring people in to find development solutions," she said.