Lack of Financing for Data, Statistics Hampers Evidence-Based Policy in Africa

Directors from several African statistical agencies have called for targeted funding in data and statistics to fuel innovation and economic growth on the continent. As the 11^th Forum on African Statistical Development (FASdev) kicked off at the United Nations’s Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) last week, financing remained atop several directors’ concerns.

With limited fiscal space and just 0.22% of all Official Development Assistance (ODA) in 2022 flowing towards data and statistics, lack of technical and financial resources have remained hindrances for evidence-based policymaking in the continent.

Oliver Chinagaya, Director of the African Center for Statistics (ACS) at UNECA, underscored the need to expedite the provision of robust data and statistics to help governments accelerate sustainable development goals and Agenda 2063. He called for strengthening the mobilization of technical and financial resources to support innovation in statistical development—the theme of this year’s forum.

“Governments should be moving towards fully digitizing their statistical systems," Oliver noted.

The director indicated the availability of the integrated strategic toolkit as an instrument that can help spur innovation in statistical offices for further development.

The use of big data, new data analytics tools, synergy between countries, and innovations were cited as pivotal in growing Africa’s statistical capacities.

However, with Africa receiving 337 million dollars for data and statistics in 2022 and 16% of all data projects being funded by loans, financial support remains essential for intra-continental statistical development.

Over the past two years, the most significant allocation came in the form of a grant and credit approval by the World Bank amounting to 460 million dollars back in May. Some countries have directed a portion of their budget to enhance their statistical capacities, while the majority continues to rely on external support.

The inclusion of budget breakdowns for the development of national strategies remains critical to inculcating a culture of evidence-based decision-making.

A shocking eleven African countries, including Ethiopia, have failed to conduct a single population or housing census in nearly a decade.

Directors of several statistical agencies united in their shared frustration over their inability to source sufficient resources to fuel their data ambitions. The Rwandan director highlighted the experience of shifting from being a component of the Planning Ministry towards an autonomous agency as a crucial step in their journey.

He underscored the importance of autonomy in fostering credibility and trust while providing some space to grow.

“An independent statistics office is crucial,” he noted.