NOODL

About NOODL

The Nwulite Obodo Open Data License (NOODL) is a framework designed to promote equitable data sharing across Africa and other developing nations. Unlike standard open licenses, which apply uniform rules to all users, the Nwulite License acknowledges the unique contexts of African dataset creators and ensures that local communities benefit from the use of their data.

The drafting and development process was a collaborative effort between researchers at Data Science Law Lab, Data Science for Social Impact, Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law and numerous members of the African dataset community who are committed to open, equitable licenses for sharing African datasets. The license was launched at the Empowering African Voices in AI: Data, Models, and Innovation workshop co-hosted by CIPIT and Data Science Law Lab, which took place on September 6, 2024 at the Deep Learning Indaba 2024 in Dakar, Senegal.

In 2025, the Maseno Centre for Applied Artificial Intelligence (MCAAI) at Maseno University became the first community to implement NOODL in practice. Working with a cohort of Dholuo data collectors, Maseno is applying the license to African language datasets, making it the very first NOODL community and a live demonstration of how equitable licensing can move from principle to practice.

How the NOODL License Works

The license distinguishes between users from developing countries and users from outside these regions, ensuring that data sharing remains fair and transparent:

• Developing country users: can use, modify, and share datasets freely but must re-share under the same license and keep data within developing nations.

• Users outside developing countries: must provide royalties or benefits to African dataset creators when using or modifying the data.

• All users: must attribute contributors, avoid imposing additional restrictions, and respect the rights of local communities.

Additional Tools: The African Dataset Creation Split Sheet