Background

The demand for evidence is enormous in all walks of our lives. International agenda like SDGs and Agenda 2063 have put data and indicators at the core of their frameworks. As sources of official data, national and international statistical systems are under pressure to furnish data for planning, decision making and policy formulation. Besides the government agencies and development partners at the national and international levels, the public, researchers, and academia require quality and timely data.

There is a considerable gap in understanding the data situation, particularly in Africa, among the users and producers of data. The official data are mainly drawn from surveys and censuses, which are sometimes conducted in five year or longer intervals. Therefore, the statistics derived from these sources can only be generated periodically despite the users' demand for more frequent and timely data. On a related note, most surveys cannot produce highly disaggregated data at lower administrative levels and special population groups. Disaggregation and granularity of data are among the most debated issues with users and producers of data responding to the notion of "leaving no one behind" and SDGs.

Technology and innovation could be the primary enablers to mitigate the challenges of data management and production. To share experiences and knowledge in data works, a platform to exchange ideas and innovation is critical. The African Centre for Statistics (ACS) of the UNECA, with its role as a Pan-African statistical development Centre for member states, is the right place to incubate ideas and solutions for data challenges.

Documents

• Agenda
• Concept Note

Registration and connection details