Data Analytics for Food Markets in Africa (DAFMA) is a consortium of food enterprises working in Africa. Our objective of this consortium is to help food enterprises grow by meeting consumer needs through more resilient supply chains delivering more affordable healthy diets across the continent. Our members benefit from improved data analysis capabilities, access to market intelligence, and expanded networking with enterprises of diverse size and scope at every stage of the food supply, from agricultural inputs and service provision to farmer organizations and industry associations, transport and storage through processing, distribution, grocery retail and food service providers.
Presentation slides: DAFMA in brief
Our mission
Our mission is to equip private enterprises and public agencies with new data analysis tools to inform decision-making and build resilient, healthy, and effective food markets in Africa.
Rapid change in African agricultural production and value chains call for new forms of data analysis, using newly available information about market conditions to improve decisions about product attributes, sourcing and pricing. Our project aims to help food-related enterprises obtain and analyze market intelligence, combining public and private data using new software tools for the insights needed to improve the overall nutritional quality of food supplies, the robustness of supply chains, and the cost-effectiveness of new investments and ongoing operations.
Towards that aim, we will convene a consortium on Data Analytics for Food Markets in Africa (DAFMA), bringing together a diverse group of private enterprises, farmer associations, and industry groups along with public sector entities to deliver new analytical tools that transform raw data into actionable insights, based on frequent interaction in working groups and our online platform.
Our theory of change
Our theory of change is that enterprises make new investments and change business practices only when their decision-makers have confidence that each step will help the enterprise survive and prosper.
Food enterprises in Africa face three significant challenges in making decisions that are backed by data and promote development outcomes:
- Enterprises operate in a landscape rich with data from official statistics and market research, but lack the analytical tools needed to unlock the valuable insights contained in their own proprietary data
- Data analysis needs must be met with a continent-focused and scalable approach that works beyond specific country contexts to enable cross-market comparison and long-term growth
- Existing platforms to address these challenges typically target public-sector audiences. There is an unmet need to support private sector enterprises in analyzing food markets in Africa