19^th International CODATA Conference
Category: Economic Development

Towards the Establishment of a National Poverty Data Center: The Case of the National Development Agency (NDA), South Africa

Lulama Makhubela
CODATA Working Group Member on Preservation and Archiving of S&T Data in Developing Countries, South Africa

Poverty is a multi-facet phenomenon. The complexity of the concept poverty is exacerbated by the fact that various poverty commentators define poverty differently.  Some definitions of the concept poverty are methodological whereas some are punitive. Both politicians and development practitioners as main actors in poverty-related matters seem to have different and sometimes competing views on how to address the effects of the concept poverty. In South Africa, as a result of lack of a well-developed and co-ordinated national poverty data center, poverty eradication efforts by various structures and role players are seriously compromised. There is no single point of accountability on available data on poverty issues. Different existing sources seem to have different data and information regarding poverty levels in the country. This paper proposes the need for the establishment of a poverty data center by the National Development Agency (NDA) that can serve as an entry point into poverty data in South Africa. The paper further explains how the proposed center can serve as a single point for poverty secondary data analysis and a gateway for scholars both nationally and internationally.