Directors from several African statistical agencies have called for targeted funding in data and statistics to fuel innovation and economic growth on the continent. As the 11th Forum on African Statistical Development (FASdev) kicked off at the United Nations’s Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) last week, financing remained atop several directors’ concerns.
With limited fiscal space and just 0.22% of all Official Development Assistance (ODA) in 2022 flowing towards data and statistics, lack of technical and financial resources have remained hindrances for evidence-based policymaking in the continent.
Oliver Chinagaya, Director of the African Center for Statistics (ACS) at UNECA, underscored the need to expedite the provision of robust data and statistics to help governments accelerate sustainable development goals and Agenda 2063. He called for strengthening the mobilization of technical and financial resources to support innovation in statistical development—the theme of this year’s forum.
“Governments should be moving towards fully digitizing their statistical systems,” Oliver noted.
The director indicated the availability of the integrated strategic toolkit as an instrument that can help spur innovation in statistical offices for further development.
The use of big data, new data analytics tools, synergy between countries, and innovations were cited as pivotal in growing Africa’s statistical capacities.
No Comment Found.