The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission has concluded a meeting of Directors-General of the National Statistical Institutes of member states to advance the implementation of the ECOWAS Statistical Policy.
The policy seeks to strengthen the harmonisation of national statistical systems and improve the production of reliable, comparable and timely data to support evidence-based policymaking and regional integration.
ECOWAS disclosed this in a statement published on its official website on Friday following the meeting in Dakar, Senegal.
The meeting brought together Directors-General of the National Statistical Institutes, experts from the ECOWAS Commission and representatives of technical and financial partners to review progress in implementing the Regional Statistical Programme (2023–2027), as well as the PHASAO and PHASAOC projects.
Participants also assessed strategic methodological documents aimed at improving the quality, consistency and comparability of official statistics across member states.
At the end of the meeting, the Directors-General approved “regional methodological guides to serve as common references for the production of official statistics within the ECOWAS region.” The approved documents include guides on the Industrial Production Index (IPI), the Business Register (RSE) and Public Debt Statistics.
They also reviewed the Methodological Guide for the Table of Government Financial Transactions (TOFE-ECOWAS) and the guide on Quarterly National Accounts (QNA), making recommendations for their finalisation and harmonised implementation.
The meeting further reviewed progress in regional statistical modernisation projects, including the transition to the 2008 System of National Accounts, the development of quarterly national accounts, the strengthening of statistical business registers, and the integration of emerging technologies and innovative data sources into statistical production.
According to ECOWAS, the outcomes represent a significant milestone in implementing the ECOWAS Statistical Policy and will enhance the quality, comparability and availability of official statistics needed to monitor Community policies, promote macroeconomic convergence and deepen regional integration.
The ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, Dr Kaliou Sylla, represented by the Acting Director of Research and Statistics, Professor N’Zué Félix Fofana, described data as a key driver of sovereignty, economic transformation and regional integration, stressing its importance in evidence-based policymaking and the implementation of the ECOWAS Vision 2050.
The Directors-General recommended the gradual adoption of the validated methodological guidelines, strengthened capacity building for national statistical systems, the enactment of legal instruments to implement regional standards, support for member states’ transition to the 2008 System of National Accounts, and the development of digital solutions and technical cooperation to accelerate statistical harmonisation.
The participants reaffirmed their commitment to implementing the recommendations and strengthening regional cooperation to build a harmonised, modern and efficient statistical system capable of supporting public policymaking, monitoring Community programmes, promoting macroeconomic convergence and advancing the ECOWAS Vision 2050.
