Mission
starsAbout Us
Data. Technology.
Data. Technology.
Evidence. Lasting change.
Dataphyte Foundation deploys data, technology and public-interest journalism for transparency and accountability across Africa.
starsOur Story
From Data Journalism to Continental Impact
Dataphyte Foundation began with a simple belief—that better data leads to better decisions. Today, that belief has grown into a multidisciplinary organisation combining research, civic technology, journalism, and partnerships to strengthen accountability across Africa.
Explore by country arrow_forward- 2015
The Idea Takes Shape
Joshua Olufemi, an investigative journalist, began envisioning an independent organisation that could address Nigeria’s chronic data challenges and enable public-data-driven change.
- 2016–2018
Refining the Vision
Selected for the Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellowship at the National Endowment for Democracy, he developed the concept for Dataphyte, drawing inspiration from leading data-journalism organisations.
- 2019
Dataphyte Is Founded
Dataphyte was officially founded with early support from the National Endowment for Democracy.
- 2020
Launching Operations
Dataphyte became fully operational, partnering with Statista while receiving early support from OSIWA, NED and Stanford University’s organised crime hub.
- 2021
Supporting Better Economic Decisions
We expanded our research and reporting work, bringing evidence closer to the public decisions that shape everyday life.
- 2026
Building Continental Impact
We work across Africa with communities, institutions, journalists and partners to make evidence useful, accessible and actionable.
starsOur Purpose
Why We Exist
The purpose and ambition that guide every decision we make.
Vision
An Africa where evidence—not assumption—drives public decisions and lasting progress.
starsWhat We Believe
Our Core Principles
Four beliefs shape how Dataphyte Foundation approaches data, technology, and accountability across Nigeria and Africa.
Evidence over assumption
Meaningful change begins with credible evidence. That is why we make data understandable and useful to people shaping public life.
People at the centre
We build with the communities, journalists, institutions and decision-makers who use the work—not around them.
Public interest first
Our independence matters. We use data, technology and journalism to serve accountability and the public good.
Partnership creates scale
Lasting progress depends on collaboration across sectors, disciplines and borders. We work openly with others to expand impact.
Trusted By renowned Organizations
Accountability Lab Nigeria
BusinessDay Media Limited
CFI France
EnviroNews Nigeria
Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ)
Fundación para la Internacionalización de las Administraciones Públicas (FIAP)
GSCC Nigeria
International Budget Partnership (IBP)
NatureNews
News Agency of Nigeria
One World Media
Premium Times
RM Times
Ripples Nigeria
Spaces for Youth Development and Social Change
TN Naija
Tag International
The Guardian Nigeria
TheMail Newspaper
University of Edinburgh
University of Middlebrough
Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ)
Action Group on Free Civic Space (AGFCS)
Big Local News
Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID)
Civic Space Resource Hub (CSR-HUB)
Collaborative Media Engagement for Development, Inclusion and Accountability (CMEDIA)
International Budget Partnership (IBP)
John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships at Stanford University (JSK)
National Endowment for Democracy (NED)
Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI)
Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA)
Spaces for Change
The Meliore Foundation
United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
starsOur Theme
Our programme: FRAME
Our five thematic pillars organise the portfolio around the challenges we are built to solve.
starsOur Impact
Measuring Impact
Driving accountability, inclusion, and better decisions through data.
50M+People reached
22States connected
N5BPublic spend tracked
3,000+People trained
starsOur Values
The principles behind every decision.
Four values that shape our culture, guide our work, and strengthen every partnership.
Founder & Executive Director
Joshua Olufemi
A data journalist and civic technologist who founded Dataphyte on the conviction that Africa's development questions deserve African evidence. He has spent his career building the newsrooms, datasets and platforms that make public decisions traceable.
publicWhere we work
Building Impact Across The Globe
Our work spans multiple countries, bringing together data, technology, research, and partnerships to address shared challenges and strengthen accountability across Africa.
Democratic Republic of Congo
Ghana
Mozambique
United Kingdom
United States
NigeriaBenin RepublicBuilding Regional Civic-Technology PartnershipsDemocratic Republic of CongoTracking Green Minerals Accountability in Central AfricaGhanaExtending Extractives Accountability Across West AfricaMozambiqueMonitoring Resource Governance in Southern AfricaThe GambiaAdvancing Civic Data Access in West AfricaUnited KingdomConnecting African Data Journalism to the Global StageUnited StatesResearch Partnerships and Global Knowledge ExchangeNigeriaNigeria is home, the country where Dataphyte Foundation was founded in 2019, and the base for our largest and most sustained body of work.