The Evolution of Open Cities Lab’s Ethos: From Projects to Programs to Products
Looking back on our journey over the years, from Open Data Durban to Open Cities Lab, we have continuously evolved our approach to maximise the impact of our work. We’ve evolved from project thinking to programme thinking and now embrace product thinking. But one thing has never changed: our commitment to making a meaningful, positive […]
Reflecting on a Transformative Year: OCL’s 23/24 Annual Report
In 2023-2024, Open Cities Lab transitioned from a start-up to a growth phase, implementing a scale-out strategy that streamlined projects, enhanced civic engagement through platforms like MyCandidate, and improved data access with initiatives like the Africa Data Hub. Key highlights included successful project launches, collaborations for data-driven solutions, and expanded efforts in fundraising and advocacy. […]
Meet Our Co-Leaders: Q&A with CEO Megan Wadge and CSO Richard Gevers
In this Q&A session, CEO Megan Wadge and CSO Richard Gevers share their unique perspectives on leadership and teamwork at OCL. They highlight their complementary strengths, commitment to impact, and personal inspirations that drive their vision for the organization’s growth and innovation. In our continuous effort to drive growth and innovation at OCL, we are […]
Strength in Collaborative Leadership: Introducing OCL’s New Leadership Model
OCL is implementing a new Co-Leadership model, with Richard Gevers as Chief Strategy Officer, Megan Wadge as Chief Executive Officer, and a Strategic Management Team. At OCL, we are always evolving to meet the needs of our dynamic industry. As we transition into our Product Phase, a significant re-design of our organisation structure is underway. […]
Working Smarter, Not Harder
At OCL, we have just kicked off a 6 month SMART Work Trial for Open Cities Lab where we, among other things, are implementing a 4-day work week! We hope you’ll follow along on the SMART Work journey with us as we learn, grow and change. Since this is a trial, we will share our progress […]
Joining OCL: The journey after a year
Starting a new job is one of the most nerve-racking experiences that a person goes through. We all have to face it at some point in our life, as we navigate our careers and find roles that are best suited to us; those that reflect our beliefs and how we define where we want to […]
Lessons Learnt: Remote Working with Partners Across the Continent
The Africa Data Hub seeks to support and promote quality data-driven journalism and in turn, facilitate evidence-based decision-making about the pandemic across the continent. It is a project that has funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. ADH has been running for over a year, with Open Cities Lab (OCL) as a custodian of […]
Why Gender Equality and Social Inclusion?
A Q&A with OCL’s founder Richard Gevers and newly appointed GE&SI domain lead, Thandi Bhengu Introduction At Open Cities Lab, we work hard to conceptualise our vision for impact and a practical approach to realising this impact. This blog features an interview with OCL’s CEO Richard Gevers, and the Gender Equality and Social Inclusion lead, […]
Our Year in Review
May is donor reporting month at Open Cities Lab and our Founder and CEO, Richard Gevers, took some time to reflect on our 20/21 year. “Open Cities Lab (OCL) had a year of remarkable growth in all areas, which is a strange sentence to write with the backdrop of the global pandemic. We experienced being […]
Open Data Durban is now called Open Cities Lab!
Open Data Durban is proud to announce our new name, Open Cities Lab. The name Open Data Durban highlighted our thinking when we started as a meetup group back in 2015: that opening data would drive the change we were looking for, and that we wanted to be a bottom-up, city-focused initiative. On reflection, five years later, we […]