Episode 1, Season 4 | Defining Interoperability

In the fifth and last episode in the Interoperability series, we zero in on what sustainable technology actually means. After a prototype or dashboard is built and a program ends, what happens to the technology? Interoperability adds a new layer of complexity to this question. Connecting data and systems requires sustained investment in infrastructure, storage, hardware, software, and human capacity – often across multiple systems at once. A vulnerability in one system can impact the whole ecosystem. This episode discusses what we need to be thinking about to build technology that lasts.

In Episode 4 of Season 4 of the Data…for What?! Podcast, we turn to the growing intersection between artificial intelligence (AI) and interoperability. As AI becomes increasingly embedded in public and private systems, the ability for data and technologies to work together – and to generate high-quality, usable training data – is more critical than ever. But these opportunities come with real trade-offs. This episode explores how choices around data storage, technical infrastructure, and system design shape access, scale, and the protection of citizens’ data rights. We’re joined by Jesse Wright, Project Lead for the Solid Project at the Open Data Institute, and Fernando Ferreyra, Director of Software Development at Development Gateway: An IREX Venture. Together, they unpack the geopolitical, legal, and technical implications of where data lives, and what it takes to build sustainable, interoperable, and future-proof AI-enabled systems. Credits Host: Beverley Hatcher-Mbu Producers: Wakini Njogu, Beverley Hatcher-Mbu, and Anna Chewter Editing/Mixing: Joseph Wagner and Wakini Njogu Theme Music: Mark Hatcher

In Episode 3 of Season 4 of the Data…for What?! Podcast, we examine the role interoperability plays in trust, safety, and elections. Recorded during 2024 – often described as the “Year of Global Elections” – this episode explores how digital systems for voter registration, verification, and results transmission shape public trust in electoral processes. While we’re publishing this conversation in 2026, the challenges discussed remain pressing: fragmented systems, data security risks, and limited public understanding of election technologies.

In Episode 2, we turn to the legal and regulatory foundations of interoperability. As data and systems become more interconnected, questions of data protection, enforcement, and cross-border data flows take centre stage. Joined by Immaculate Kassait, Kenya’s Data Protection Commissioner, and Lorrayne Porciuncula, Co-founder and Executive Director of the Datasphere Initiative, we explore legal interoperability, regulatory sandboxes, and how laws can both enable innovation and protect people in an increasingly data-driven world.

To kick off Season 4 of the 'Data...for What?!' podcast, we introduce interoperability from multiple viewpoints, acknowledging that most people consider interoperability within their sector/silo.

In episode 4, Season 3 of “Data…for What?!,” host Vanessa Goas and special guest Roshan Paul, Former Director of Leadership Practice & Climate Talent Initiative at IREX, discuss the Climate Talent Initiative, which is IREX’s first in-house climate program.

In episode 3, Season 3 of “Data…for What?!,” DGer Charlene Migwe-Kagume and special guest Leonida (Leo) Mutuku discusses LDRI’s early warning system, an AI tool that is being used to enable farmers to plan and manage their harvest more effectively by using local and global data on weather patterns, crop yields, etc.

In episode 2, Season 3 of “Data…for What?!,” host Vanessa Goas and special guests former DGer Joshua Mbai and Gilles Amadou Ouédraogo, Programme Management Officer for the Great Green Wall Accelerator at the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, discuss the Great Green Wall Initiative, the Great Green Wall Observatory, and how the the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and DG are committed supporting new and ongoing efforts aimed at combating climate change.

In episode 1, Season 3 of “Data…for What?!,” Vanessa Goas and special guest Sebastian Öhmann, Advisor of the Data Economy Initiative inside the Global Project of Digital Transformation from GIZ, discuss data and digital transformation in relation to climate change adaptation and specifically focusing on climate finance.

In episode 4 of “Data…for What?!,” Beverley Hatcher-Mbu and special guests Shreeja Sen, Research Associate at IT for Change, and Dr. Melissa Omino, Acting Director at Strathmore University’s Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law, discuss data governance and protection in India and Kenya.