Our consortium
Our consortium will 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, through five complementary workstreams.
Shared governance: The project’s foundation is a group of market actors engaged in shared governance of our consortium through which they interact and obtain the results of data analysis and decision support tools. The consortium’s steering committee will guide all platform activities, ensuring accountability and serving the full range of stakeholders in African food markets.
Methodological innovation: The value of participating in the consortium comes from using the results of new data analysis methods and software tools developed in response to consortium members’ needs. This workstream builds on the success of new metrics using retail prices to monitor and improve diet costs and affordability, recognizing the potential for further improvements in how raw data is transformed into actionable guidance.
Market intelligence: Participation in the consortium offers not only improved use of each enterprise’s own operational data, but also access to specialist information about the entire market. This workstream leverages the capabilities of Euromonitor International, which uses Africa’s largest network of local market analysts to assemble proprietary data on quantities, prices and attributes of retail sales and other market conditions. Through the consortium, Euromonitor International will offer tailored data products and market intelligence services allowing use of proprietary operational information under agreements appropriately protecting intellectual property.
Ground-truthing and validation: The consortium’s success depends on the accuracy and usefulness of its data analyses, including qualitative insights and quantitative guidance. This workstream will engage local market analysts to provide third-party validation of methods and results, focusing on priority questions set by the consortium’s steering committee. Analysts will then disseminate their findings through policy briefs, opinion articles, and in-person meetings, thereby reaching beyond the consortium members to other market actors, civil society and government officials in each country.
Enabling environments: The platform’s fifth workstream consists of monitoring the market environment, working with national governments and international organizations to track change in food environments and respond in ways that help private enterprises improve access to healthy diets, build climate resilience and develop more inclusive food markets.
Our focus
Healthy food
Data on product attributes can be analyzed to understand the nutritional composition of retailer and manufacturer food and beverage product portfolios
to increase sales of affordable nutritious food.
Effective markets
Data on supplier demographics can be used to understand the nature of the enterprise’s suppliers in terms of current and potential provision of goods and services to enhance effectiveness of smallholder suppliers.
Resilient supply chains
Data on geolocated food flows, with a particular focus on pricing and storage information, can identify opportunities for arbitrage or reducing risk and vulnerability to increase supply chain resilience to adverse events.
Benefits for consortium members
How to join
If you are interested in learning more about membership in the Consortium for Data Analytics for Food Markets in Africa, please complete this interest form or contact Alex Knueppel, Project Manager, at alexander.knueppel@tufts.edu