The African Development Bank (AfDB) invests in thousands of projects across the continent each year. For that investment to be accountable – and for partners, governments and citizens to make good decisions – people need to see clearly where the money goes and what it achieves.
MapAfrica brings together georeferenced data on AfDB’s grants, investments and project results, so that this information can be explored project by project and place by place.
When AfDB asked us to refresh the platform, project data information was split across two entry points: the AfDB data portal and MapAfrica. Both were maintained, and the data portal in particular let users filter and find data effectively, but having two separate routes to the same information meant users had to know which one to go to, and neither gave a complete picture on its own. AfDB wanted a single entry point for project data – one place where staff, partners and the public could start.
The scale of the data created further challenges. MapAfrica needs to display more than 5,000 projects and over 30,000 results indicators across 17,000 locations, often with several projects associated with the same place. The platform needed to remain fast, while helping users understand what sat behind each point on the map.
Location data also needed to be treated carefully. A project’s location might describe where an organisation is based, where activity takes place, or where the benefits are felt. The design needed to make those patterns explorable, without flattening the complexity behind them.
AfDB also needed MapAfrica to work as a long-term data product. The data model had to evolve over time, reflecting changing priorities, emerging themes and new reporting needs, without being rebuilt each time.
Our approach
We began with discovery, reviewing user needs and how AfDB publishes its data.
From there, we designed a flexible data model, based on the IATI Standard. This standardised information across AfDB’s different financing instruments, while allowing the platform to adapt over time.
We rebuilt the data pipeline in modern Python, using well-supported and interoperable tools so AfDB can sustain and extend MapAfrica beyond our engagement. To make updates more reliable, we introduced multi-stage validation and alerts before data is loaded. We also separated the ingestion pipeline from the live platform, so that data quality problems can no longer disrupt the service.
A central part of the refresh was rebuilding the frontend in Vue.js. The aim was to make complex, location-based data explorable through an accessible dashboard, rather than a technical interface.
Users can move between interactive maps, timelines and graphs to spot patterns, compare regions and understand project activity. They can then export filtered results for further analysis, reporting or sharing. Because the frontend responds directly to database changes, visualisations update as soon as new data is loaded.
Displaying thousands of projects required us to balance speed, simplicity and clarity. We streamed data in batches, refined the results indicators into meaningful categories, and used tooltips and pop-ups so users could explore the projects behind each point.
We also worked closely with AfDB on visualisation, terminology and contextual filtering. We replaced generic language with the terms used by AfDB and its partners, so the platform better reflects how teams work.
The result
One consolidated platform now replaces the two former portals. MapAfrica covers around 6000 projects across 19,000 locations, is refreshed weekly, and provides a clearer way to understand where AfDB invests, and what those investments achieve.
Since the refresh, the platform has drawn 521,000 unique visitors, who stay an average of 3m 33s and view 3.6 pages each, with a bounce rate of 21%. For an institutional portal, these are strong figures that show users are staying to explore the data.
The work has also supported a further public accountability tool. MapAfrica’s data model and results indicators now underpin the Mission 300 Progress Tracker, which follows the World Bank and AfDB’s commitment to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030. The tracker shows progress by country and project, including connections made, financing mobilised, geographic coverage and operational status.
MapAfrica is also helping build the case for more data sharing across AfDB. Its flexible data model, contextual filtering and refreshed infrastructure provide a foundation that can evolve as new data becomes available and priorities change.
We continue to develop the platform, expanding filtering as new data becomes available and exploring how a chatbot grounded in approved guidance could help users navigate it and get more from the data it holds.
Open Data Services understood from the start that, for the AfDB, transparency is how we account for what we invest in and what we achieve, not a mere communications exercise. This helped us turn a fragmented data environment into a single platform where our teams, our partners, and the public can follow the same data.
Principal Results and Transparency Officer at the African Development Bank Group
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