Announcing Development Gateway: An IREX Venture’s Data on Youth and Tobacco in Africa (DaYTA) Program

Development Gateway: An IREX Venture (DG)—with support from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF)—is pleased to announce a new program, Data on Youth and Tobacco in Africa (DaYTA). This three-year, $4 million program will advance tobacco control efforts in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) by addressing data gaps related to tobacco use among 10- to 17-year-olds in Kenya, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Overall, the DaYTA program will empower stakeholders to make timely, data-driven decisions by using evidence to inform policy and, in turn, create a healthier populace in SSA.
Stakeholder, Where Art Thou?: Three Insights on Using Governance Structures to Foster Stakeholder Engagement

Through our Tobacco Control Data Initiative (TCDI) program and its sister program Data on Youth and Tobacco in Africa (DaYTA), we have learned that creating governance structures, such as advisory boards or steering committees, is one approach to ensuring that digital solutions appropriately meet stakeholders’ needs and foster future stakeholder engagement. In this blog, we explore three insights on how governance structures can advance buy-in with individual stakeholders while connecting them to one another.