The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has intensified efforts to strengthen evidence-based governance across West Africa, urging member states to place reliable and harmonised data at the heart of policymaking, economic planning and regional integration.
The renewed push was unveiled at the opening of the meeting of Directors-General of National Statistics Institutes (NSIs) of ECOWAS member states in Dakar, Senegal, where senior policymakers and statistical experts convened to chart a new direction for the region’s statistical system.
Opening the meeting, Senegal’s Minister of Economy, Planning and Cooperation, Allé Nar Diop, described official statistics as the “lamp” that must illuminate government decisions, stressing that sustainable development, sound governance and effective public policy depend on credible, timely and comparable data.
He called on member states to strengthen their national statistical institutions, embrace innovation and modernise data production systems to ensure governments have access to accurate information needed to address the region’s mounting economic and social challenges.
The meeting is focused on harmonising statistical methodologies across ECOWAS countries, improving data quality and accessibility, accelerating digital transformation in statistical production and reinforcing regional cooperation in line with the ECOWAS Vision 2050 agenda.
Participants are also examining strategies to build a more resilient regional statistical architecture capable of supporting policymaking in key sectors, including health, education, agriculture, trade, security and climate resilience.
The discussions come at a critical time as governments across West Africa grapple with rising public debt, inflation, food insecurity, unemployment and the growing impacts of climate change, increasing the need for policies grounded in verifiable evidence rather than assumptions.
Experts at the forum stressed that robust statistical systems remain indispensable for tracking progress towards national development priorities, the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The meeting is expected to produce recommendations aimed at strengthening collaboration among national statistical agencies, improving the production and exchange of official statistics and enhancing governments’ capacity to respond effectively to emerging regional challenges through data-driven decision-making.
Reliable statistics have become a cornerstone of modern governance, guiding governments in budget formulation, social intervention programmes, infrastructure planning and performance evaluation. However, many West African countries continue to face challenges ranging from inadequate funding and weak statistical infrastructure to limited technological capacity and inconsistencies in data collection.
To bridge these gaps, ECOWAS has continued to advance the harmonisation of statistical standards through its Regional Statistical Programme, recognising that credible and comparable data are essential for deepening regional integration, expanding cross-border trade, attracting investment and ensuring the effective implementation of regional policies.
The Dakar meeting is widely seen as a significant step towards building a stronger and more integrated regional statistical system capable of driving evidence-based governance, improving public service delivery and accelerating sustainable development across West Africa.
