Barriers to Open Government Data (OGD) initiative in Tanzania: Stakeholders’ perspectives

Abstract Open Government Data (OGD) initiatives are picking up across the globe with their emphasis upon the tenets of transparency, collaboration, and participation. While much of the research has remained confined at unraveling the theoretical and conceptual dimensions of OGD, empirical investigations are visibly lacking, especially in the African context. Using a qualitative research methodology, we analyze the responses received from relevant stakeholders—representatives from public and private sector—regarding their views about the OGD initiative in Tanzania. Our findings show that the OGD initiative in Tanzania is in an emerging stage and there are barriers (organizational, social, legal, and technical) toward instituting a robust OGD initiative in the country. Further, we find that there is inertia among the government departments in terms of publishing data sets. Our findings provide a sounding board for further research on the sustainability of OGD initiatives in Tanzania and the other African countries, by and large.