The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has launched a fresh drive to strengthen evidence-based governance across the region, urging national statistical agencies to make reliable data the foundation of public policy, economic planning and regional integration.
The call was made at the opening of the meeting of Directors-General of National Statistics Institutes (NSIs) of ECOWAS member states in Dakar, Senegal, where policymakers and statistical experts gathered to chart a new course for the region’s statistical system.
Opening the meeting, Senegal’s Minister of Economy, Planning and Cooperation, Allé Nar Diop, described data as the “lamp” that should illuminate government decisions, stressing that sustainable development and effective governance cannot be achieved without credible and harmonised statistics.
He urged member states to strengthen their statistical institutions and embrace innovation to ensure governments have access to timely, accurate and comparable data needed to address the region’s growing economic and social challenges.
The meeting is examining strategies to harmonise statistical methodologies across ECOWAS countries, improve data quality and accessibility, accelerate digital transformation in statistical production and reinforce regional cooperation in support of the ECOWAS Vision 2050 agenda.
Participants are also reviewing measures to build a more resilient regional statistical system capable of supporting policymaking in critical sectors such as health, education, agriculture, trade, security and climate resilience.
The discussions come at a time when governments across West Africa are increasingly under pressure to formulate policies based on verifiable evidence amid rising public debt, food insecurity, inflation, unemployment and the impacts of climate change.
Experts at the meeting noted that robust statistical systems are essential for monitoring progress towards national development plans, the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The gathering is expected to produce recommendations aimed at deepening cooperation among national statistical agencies, improving the production and sharing of official statistics, and enhancing governments’ ability to respond to emerging regional challenges through data-driven decision-making.
Reliable statistics have become central to development planning globally, with governments relying on official data to design budgets, target social interventions and evaluate public programmes. However, many West African countries continue to face challenges including weak statistical infrastructure, inadequate funding, limited technological capacity and inconsistencies in data collection methods.
To address these gaps, ECOWAS has over the years pursued the harmonisation of statistical standards through its Regional Statistical Programme, recognising that comparable and credible data are indispensable for economic integration, cross-border trade, investment planning and effective implementation of regional policies.
The Dakar meeting is therefore seen as a significant step towards building a stronger regional statistical architecture capable of supporting evidence-based governance and accelerating sustainable development across West Africa.
Michael Olugbode
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