Statistical information and data continue to be at the center of debates of the Assembly of Heads of States and Governments, including at the UN General Assembly and High-Level Political Forum, in an endeavor to highlight progress towards common development agendas and areas of global concern. The African Statistics System is dynamic and continues to evolve in tandem with ongoing initiatives and the development of statistics in Africa. Key frameworks underscoring strengthening the capacity of national statistical systems in Africa include the African Charter on Statistics and the second Strategy for the Harmonization of Statistics in Africa (SHaSA 2). These, coupled with the UN Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics and the Cape Town Global Action Plan for sustainable development data allow for an enabling environment for the enactment of requisite national statistical laws and national strategies for the development of statistics.
To intensify advocacy and the development of statistics in Africa, the African Statistics Day was adopted in May 1990 at the United Nations Economics Commission for Africa (UNECA) conference of African Ministers responsible for Planning and Economic Development. It is an annual event commemorated on 18th November to raise public awareness about the important role that statistics play in all aspects of social and economic life.
Each year, the celebration revolves around raising awareness amongst decision-makers, development partners, data producers and users, academia, researchers, and the public on the importance of statistics on a specific theme. The 2025 celebration aims to underscore the critical role of data in achieving Africa’s development aspirations as outlined in the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This year's ASD theme is “Leveraging innovations in data and statistics to promote a just, peaceful, inclusive and prosperous society for Africans.” It is aligned to the 2025 AU summit theme “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations”.
Series of events will be organized by member States to celebrate the 2025 ASD and foster debate around the theme of the day as well as on the utilization of official statistics for evidence-based planning and development initiatives in Africa.
