Africa faces immense challenges in adequate and skilled human capital to produce quality statistics for evidence-based policymaking, says Tinfissi-Joseph Ilboudo, Officer in Charge of the African Centre for Statistics.

Relying on international financial support to produce critical information for and about Africa is impeding statistical development, he told delegates attending the Expert’s segment of the 2025 ECA Conference of Ministers.

“We need sustainable funding of data systems to ensure we are tackling the right issues,” he said.

Illoudo underlined the importance of data governance and quality statistics to drive informed evidence-based policymaking, something that is currently under threat as a result of a lack of capacity.

Outdated statistical methods often do not reflect African realities, he said, leading to the production of data that may not accurately represent local conditions.

The big question for the future of the statistics ecosystem is how African statistical agencies can use artificial intelligence and new data sources to tackle the new priorities in the national, regional and international development agencies.