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SADC Workshop to Put Mobile Phone Data to Work for Statistics

May 19-22, 2025
Johannesburg, South Africa
SADC MPD Workshop
SADC MPD Workshop sponsors

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Mobile Phone Data (MPD) for Policy Regional Workshop brings together public and private sector stakeholders across the mobile phone data ecosystem to build capacity and co-develop national MPD pipelines. Delivered by the SADC Secretariat with support from the World Bank, this regional workshop is a key milestone under the Regional Statistics Project.

The workshop will deliver training sessions that cover (a) Process to set up a country Mobile Phone Data pipeline/program in a country to produce policy-relevant insights, (b) Country examples of MPD for policy applications, and (c) Group activities to develop/elaborate country MPD implementation plans. For the Group Sessions, workshop participants will be organized into their respective country task teams comprised of World Bank operations, government agencies (NSO, Regulator, other), telecom operator(s), and other MDAs. Each group discussion will focus on the country activities, including: (i) Aligning of necessary stakeholders; (ii) Data access, including legal and regulatory framework; (iii) Data processing and sharing, including definition of key indicators; (iv) Outputs and planned uses for the data; (v) Accompanying relevant research questions to ensure rigor of the project; and (vi) Timeline. 

At the conclusion of the SADC MPD Stakeholder Workshop, each country team will have a high-level country action plan from relevant national stakeholders on the implementation details that will cover the following elements:

  • A roadmap for MPD program establishment;
  • Identified policy applications and expected impacts;
  • Stakeholder engagement strategies; and
  • Timelines, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and key milestones/Targets.

 

 

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Mobile Phone Data (MPD) for Policy workshop will gather public and private sector stakeholders from the local MPD ecosystems of all Member States of the SADC. Stakeholders will be comprised of representatives of Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), National Statistical Offices (NSOs), Telco/ICT Regulators and other Ministries, Departments, Agencies (MDAs).

The workshop will prepare participants with the necessary knowledge and hands-on skills to integrate a MPD pipeline into their national data systems. By engaging in technical training and collaborative group activities, participants will gain insights into how MPD can be effectively used for durable policy applications and higher resolution statistics.

The structured learning program will cover key concepts in MPD for Policy, from the MPD foundations to MPD policy applications to developing MPD country action plans. The delivery of the workshop will be supported by SADC and the technical training delivered by a consortium from the World Bank’s Poverty Global Practice and the World Bank’s Global Data Facility, Mobile Phone Data Program, which includes experts with several decades of experience working in the MPD for Policy space.

Closed event - by invite only

  • Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
  • Dates: May 19-22, 2025