Reflections on a Transformative Year: Dataphyte’s 2022 Recap

Just as a farmer plants seeds in the spring and tends to them throughout the growing season, we have also tended to the goals and aspirations we have set for the year. Some may have flourished, while others may have fallen by the wayside, but all have taught us valuable lessons and made this year successful.

Through the intrigues on Nigeria’s political scene, its challenges with unsustainable debt and scares of recession, the insecurity that reached new heights, the now familiar fantastical corruption scandals, missing the world cup, and the devastating floods of 2022. Through the joys of a daughter of the land writing Nigeria’s name in the stars on the sports scene and yet another daughter bringing the melodies of the motherland to the international movie scene, and the death of a sometimes hero, sometimes villain queen, Dataphyte covered it all.

From telling data-driven stories to liberating public data and building civic technology tools, we are proud of our significant strides in mainstreaming data journalism. But most of all, we are grateful to you, our audience, for your support, feedback, and engagement with our work. Together, we are making a real difference!

So, how did we do in 2022? Walk through the numbers with us!

(a) Data Journalism and Research

• 581 data-driven investigations and reports in 2022

• 50 Data Dive Newsletters published

• 119 Data Cards distributed

• 4 Occasional papers published

•  3 Research projects conducted 

  • PHC  viability research

  • Budget credibility research 

  • Open Contracting Portal Research (OCPR) 

(b) Technology and Projects

• 12,000 datasets  on contract, budget, audit, revenue and debt statistics across states liberated

3 Products Launched

• Launched an AI-powered data storytelling tool, Nubia

• Launched an innovative Data Collection tool, Goloka

• Launched a beneficial ownership accountability tool, Anfani 

(c) Dataphyte Academy/Fellowships

Dataphyte started 2 Fellowship programmes.

• Dataphyte Media Fellowship 

• Dataphyte Mainstreaming Gender Fellowship

570 persons trained in 2022

(d) Partnerships and Collaborations

10 International organisations

• Open Contracting Partnership

• International Budget Partnership

• Accountability Lab

• Statista

• The University of Edinburgh’s School of Social and Political Science

• Sigma Awards

• British Council

• MacArthur Foundation

• National Endowment for Democracy

• New Venture Fund

17 local civil society organisations

• TapNitiative

• Connected Development 

• Policy Alert

• Spaces for Change

• Jola Adekola Initiative for Retired, Aging, and Aged (JAIRAA)

• Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL)

• Development Research and Project Center(DRPC)

• Centre for Media Solutions

• BudgIT

• Centre for Democracy and Development

• Enough is Enough

• TASCK Agency

• Civic Tech Innovation Network

• PRIMORG

• Finishers Initiative for Social Transformation, Africa

• SERAP

•  Order Paper

20 Media organisations

• Punch

• Afritel Media

• Agidigbo 88.7FM

• PlusTVAfrica

• Daily Trust

• Stage Media (Liberia)

• The Cable

• Premium Times

• Dubawa

• Sahara Reporters

• Blueprint 

• ICIR

• Splash 105.5 FM

• Oyo Insights

• Thisdaylive

• Independent

• Leadership

• HumAngle

• BusinessDay

• Nigeria Info FM

3 Journalism Schools and Associations

• Pen Resource University, Gombe

• Federal University, Kashere

• Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals

9 government agencies

• Gombe State Bureau of Statistics

• Plateau State Bureau of Statistics

• National Bureau of Statistics

• National Population Commission

• Edo State Bureau of Public Procurement 

• Jigawa State Due Process Bureau

• Ebonyi State Bureau of Public Procurement

• National Orientation Agency

• Ekiti State Bureau of Statistics

Fellowships/Workshops

Dataphyte was a part of six Fellowships/Workshops to strengthen and build organizational capacity.

• Jamlab Africa

• London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

• NAMIP

• Policy Innovation Centre Behavioral Insight Workshop

• The International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) Data use Workshop

• Population Reference Bureau’s (PRB)  public health cohort fellowship

(e) Dataphyte Podcast Launch

Produced 9 Dataphyte Election Dialogue Series (DEDs)  on Spotify, Anchor FM, and Google podcasts

(f) Social Media Growth and Campaigns

• Over 53% Audience growth on Facebook

• Over 88% Audience growth on Instagram

• 80% Audience growth on Linkedin

• 38% Audience growth on Twitter

(g) 2022 Social Media Campaigns 

• International Women’s day 2022

• Twitter Spaces on Election Literacy

• 2023 Budget Call Circular

• State Performance Appraisal Reports

We are far from our ambitious goals but locked in and blazing toward them.

2023 presents a fresh challenge to outdo ourselves in the service of our vision of social transformation and stimulating practice and policies that empower and give voice to the experiences of vulnerable and underserved groups in Nigeria and Africa through data-driven impact narratives, collective advocacy, and civic technology.

Our ask? That you stay on this ride with us, join us on one or all of these vehicles (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter). You will also find our reports and specially curated datasets a great information compass as you plan your 2022. And if you still need to join this ride? Come on in; we promise we bring loads of insight wrapped in engaging content you want to read and share. 

Cheers to 2023!!!