Enhancing Local Governance: How the private sector can support data capacity in South Africa’s municipalities

The report argues that while South Africa has high national statistical capacity, local municipalities often lack the ICT infrastructure and technical expertise to leverage data. Using Cape Town and eThekwini as case studies, it highlights how private sector partnerships can address gaps in data relevance, platform usability, and public sector skills to improve service delivery and transparency.

• South Africa possesses a strong national foundation for data collection and dissemination, ranking highly on the World Bank’s Statistical Capacity Index in sub-Saharan Africa, yet many local governments still rely on "outdated or manual data management practices."
• The City of Cape Town's Open Data Portal, launched in 2015, has expanded from 29 to over 120 datasets, including the Economic Areas Management Programme (ECAMP) which provides market insights for small businesses. However, it suffers from a lack of exploration tools for non-experts and "data fragmentation," such as having extensive vegetation data but little demographic information.
• The eThekwini "Open GIS Data" platform, launched in 2019, focuses specifically on economic data to support business growth, utilizing "data stories" in English and isiZulu. Its limitations include an "overly narrow scope" that excludes vital infrastructure and basic services data, as well as capacity and skills gaps that hinder effective decision-making.
• The private sector can enhance municipal ODPs by providing real-time data on transport, environment, and subnational business, and by developing ICT solutions tailored to specific municipal needs. Tech firms are specifically positioned to improve the visualization of large datasets to increase accessibility.
• To ensure sustainable governance and avoid municipal reliance on private firms, the report recommends that the private sector provide technical placements, internships, and fellowships to upskill public servants and improve data literacy.

APA

Morrison, S., & Ohamadike, N. (n.d.). Enhancing Local Governance: How the private sector can support data capacity in South Africa’s municipalities. Good Governance Africa. https://digitalmallblobstorage.blob.core.windows.net/wp-content/2025/03/Enhanced-Local-Governance-IR.pdf

Chicago

Morrison, Stuart, and Nnaemeka Ohamadike. Enhancing Local Governance: How the private sector can support data capacity in South Africa’s municipalities. Good Governance Africa, n.d. https://digitalmallblobstorage.blob.core.windows.net/wp-content/2025/03/Enhanced-Local-Governance-IR.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Morrison |first1=Stuart |last2=Ohamadike |first2=Nnaemeka |title=Enhancing Local Governance: How the private sector can support data capacity in South Africa’s municipalities |publisher=Good Governance Africa |url=https://digitalmallblobstorage.blob.core.windows.net/wp-content/2025/03/Enhanced-Local-Governance-IR.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{morrisonndenhancing, author = {Morrison, Stuart and Ohamadike, Nnaemeka}, title = {{Enhancing Local Governance: How the private sector can support data capacity in South Africa’s municipalities}}, institution = {Good Governance Africa}, url = {https://digitalmallblobstorage.blob.core.windows.net/wp-content/2025/03/Enhanced-Local-Governance-IR.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }