First with data: Alison Siljeur, director Matthew Welch and Lynn Woolfrey of DataFirst are leading an initiative to revolutionise the way a number of African countries store priceless survey data.

In August, DataFirst, a small, dedicated unit in the Faculty of Commerce, will join a project that allows African countries to leapfrog to world-class standards of data access.

DataFirst recently signed a contract with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to provide technical assistance, support and training in the installation and maintenance of an online survey data catalogue system for the national statistics offices of Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Mozambique and Nigeria. This, it is hoped, will revolutionise the way national survey data is stored and retrieved in these countries.

DataFirst will provide support to ensure survey data from these countries are preserved and, importantly, made accessible to decision-makers and researchers.