African Countries Called Upon to Improve Data Collection

7 hours ago 3

by Ignatius Banda (bulawayo)
Thursday, January 30, 2025
Inter Press Service

BULAWAYO, Jan 30 (IPS) - Africa's lack of robust application of statistical research has been flagged as slowing the use of evidence-based data to drive development.

The continent is home to a mix of socio-economic challenges where data collection continues to present a problem for authorities, but experts warn that this is stalling Africa's development agenda.

National budgets and expertise have been found lacking in ensuring data and statistics drive planning towards the improvement of millions of lives in a continent projected to reach the one billion mark in the next decade.

This emerged during the recent Forum on Statistical Development in Africa (FASDev) where experts met in Addis Ababa under the theme: "Strengthening the Mobilization of Technical and Financial Resources to Support Innovation in Statistical Development in Africa."

The forum was set up in 2004 by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the African Development Bank, the World Bank and the Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century (PARIS21), whose brief is to prioritise "disadvantaged statistical systems in least developed, low-income, fragile, and small island developing states to deliver quality data and statistics for sustainable development."

The forum brings together representatives of national statistical offices, statistical training centres, international, regional and subregional institutions, bilateral agencies and international donors to deliberate on supporting statistical development in Africa.

Data collection is seen as a vital driver of sustainable development as it seeks to give a face to the continent's challenges.

Experts say while African governments have made strides in professionalising the collection of data and statistics, there is still more to be done for the timely and accurate delivery of results collected from such research.

“There is a need to expedite the provision of robust data and statistics to assist governments in accelerating the achievement of the agenda for sustainable development and Agenda 2063 through their national development plans,” said Oliver Chinganya, Director of the Africa Centre for Statistics at the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).

These comments come at a time when many African governments are struggling to adequately fund their national statistical agency, resulting in unreliable data in areas that include the overall country population in national censuses.

"Africa should urgently invest in robust data and statistical systems to accelerate sustainable development," Chinganya said.

Data science is being touted globally as integral to understanding challenges that range from sectors such as agriculture, health, education and migration and will play a pivotal role in the 2005 Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness.

The declaration was followed by the Accra Agenda for Action in 2008, which sets out to monitor progress on aid effectiveness whereby recipient countries "have more say over their development process."

Experts say this can only be possible through the collection of reliable data and efficient statistical centres.

"The status of data collection in Africa is important for improving data quality and crucial for decision-making and development. Actors must work hard to produce credible statistics,” said Adoum Gagoloum, Chief Economic Statistics at the African Union Commission, who also serves as Acting Director of the African Union Institute for Statistics (STATAFRIC).

Gagoloum says there is an urgent need for governments to pool more resources towards setting up departments that will ensure that sustainable resources are allocated based on reliable data.

This is as some countries are yet to fully go digital in their data collection methods, further compromising the allocation of critical development resources.

“We need to explore new financing partnerships and resources to prioritize statistical development projects in Africa,” said Babatunde Omotosho, Director of the Statistics Department at the African Development Bank.

The UN Economic Commission for Africa, the African Union and the African Development Bank have partnered to roll out the modernisation of the continent's data collection and statistical models as part of broader efforts towards realising targets set under Agenda 2063.

According to the ECA, the Statistical Commission for Africa (STATCOM) is already collaborating with the Food and Agriculture Organisation and regional agencies to exploit big data sources through training and capacity building on agricultural statistics.

“Transformation is essential to close the data gaps and in achieving the Africa Agenda 2063 and SDGs," Omotosho said.

"However, this vision calls for skilled personnel and robust infrastructure, and it is here where stakeholders and donors can make an impact, not only to supply resources but to develop technical expertise,” he added.

The Forum on Statistical Development in Africa, with collaboration from national statistical centres, is banking on this new approach to bring a better understanding of the continent's challenges at a time of competing development priorities.

IPS UN Bureau Report

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