Addis Ababa, October 28, 2024 (FBC) – Africa should urgently invest in robust data and statistical systems to accelerate sustainable development, the Director of the Africa Centre for Statistics at the Economic Commission for Africa, (ECA), Oliver Chinganya has urged.
Opening the Eleventh Forum on African Statistical Development (FASDEV X), as part of the series of events by the community of African statisticians, including Statistical Commission for Africa (STATCOM), Mr. Chingaya, stressed the importance of data and statistics in supporting informed decision-making and planning.
FASDev initiated in 2004 by the ECA, the African Development Bank, the Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century (PARIS21) and the World Bank, brings together representatives of national statistical offices, statistical training centres, international, regional and subregional institutions, bilateral agencies, international donors to deliberate on supporting statistical development in Africa.
FASDev, being held at the back of the Statistical Commission for Africa (STATCOM), has established linkages among producers of official statistics, statistics training centres, and partners supporting statistical development in Africa
This year the Forum is meeting under the theme, ‘Strengthening the mobilization of technical and financial resources to support innovation in statistical development in Africa’, which Mr. Chinganya said reflected continued efforts in the transformation and modernization of official statistics on the continent.
Mr. Chinganya highlighted that African countries had made notable progress in improving their national data and statistical systems in the areas of digital censuses as well as in modernizing administrative data for statistical purposes. Furthermore, many countries have harnessed data science and new data sources to close data gaps and adequately respond to users’ needs.
Despite the progress made, Africa was challenged by limited investment in data and statistics which hindered innovation and the delivery of timely and accurate statistics for development.
“There is a need to expedite the provision of robust data and statistics to assist the Government in accelerating the achievement of the agenda for sustainable development and agenda 2063 through their national development plans,” said Mr. Chinganya, calling for the strengthening the mobilization of technical and financial resources to support innovation in statistical development in Africa.
“I urge the eleventh Meeting of the Forum on Statistical Development in Africa to deeply reflect on strengthening synergies among all stakeholders to enhance innovation in the African Statistical System because ‘Synergy is better than my way or your way; it is our way’,” he said.