Data ethics, governance, and quality in a changing data ecosystem

MEDIA ADVISORY

Dear Media Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to the Capacity Building Workshop entitled “Data Ethics, Governance, and Quality in a Changing Data Ecosystem.”The Workshop will take place from Tuesday, September 2^nd to Thursday, September 4^th, 2025, in person in Nairobi, Kenya at the Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club.

The workshop is organized by the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) in collaboration with the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), and the Statistics Division of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).

This workshop aims to strengthen the capacity of national statistical experts in African countries to adapt to the rapidly changing data ecosystem. The Africa region faces unique challenges in managing its national data ecosystems, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which highlighted the need for resilient, adaptive, and high-quality statistical systems that provide timely and disaggregated data.

After the opening session followed by a preliminary session to set the context, the workshop will proceed with the following four key segments:

1. Data Governance and Stewardship in a Changing National Data Ecosystem:

Participants will explore the evolving roles of National Statistical Offices (NSOs) in data governance, with a focus on data stewardship in the African context.

2. Modernizing Legislation for Official Statistics to Remain Relevant:

This session will focus on modernizing national legislation to ensure that official statistics remain relevant in an evolving data landscape.

3. Quality Assurance and Novel Data Sources:

This session will delve into implementing the UN National Quality Assurance Framework (NQAF) and the challenges of ensuring quality in the use of administrative and other emerging data sources.

4. Modern Statistical Production Architecture in the African Context:

The fourth session will focus on revisiting the Generic Statistical Business Process Model (GSBPM) for countries in the African region from the perspective of the integration of new data sources in the production of official statistics, such as the use of big data, integration of statistical and geospatial data, and citizen data.

Throughout the workshop, participants will engage in interactive breakout sessions and group discussions, which will provide a platform to share experiences, challenges, and solutions related to their own national contexts. The workshop will culminate in one concluding session organized as a panel discussion summarizing key insights and recommendations and proposing the way forward.

With the combined efforts of UNSD, KNBS, and ECA, this workshop will foster collaboration and knowledge-sharing among senior statisticians and experts in the region. The goal is to ensure that countries of the Africa region are equipped to modernize their statistical systems and address the emerging challenges posed by an increasingly complex data ecosystem.

For media enquiries, please contact:

Sophia Denekew, ECA Media Relations: denekews.uneca@un.org OR eca-info@un.org