African Data Commons Cooperative Collective
Unleash collaborative power for our data
We build communities that collectively develop open business models and technology for federated African data cooperatives.
Democratic, community-owned infrastructure — for local, secure data stewardship toward social benefit.
Why this matters
Practical control and ownership of data is power. We want to help everyone reclaim it.
- Protect our privacy and safety
- Keep African data working for Africans
- Govern data with the people it describes
How we get there
Three stages. Each one grows from the last.
- 1
Grassroots communities
Build and connect communities across Africa to incubate data cooperatives, with open business models and open technology stacks.
- 2
Coordinating foundations
Establish at least one foundation to coordinate and fund the work of those communities, according to shared values and preferences.
- 3
Federated coalitions
Incorporate our first data cooperative through low-risk pilots, harden the services for higher-risk work, then help new cooperatives start across the continent.
Questions
How do I join?
Email hello@c3data.africa and we will point you to the community spaces that fit what you want to work on.
What is a platform cooperative?
A business that delivers its goods or services mainly through a website, app or protocol, but is owned and governed democratically by the people who work on it and use it — rather than by outside shareholders. The global movement is documented at platform.coop.
What does the collective actually run?
Shared infrastructure for data storage, documentation and discussion, operated for and by member communities rather than rented from a platform that owns the data.
Start a conversation
Whether you want to join a community, start a cooperative, or ask how any of this works — write to us and a person will reply.
hello@c3data.africa