ECOWAS Moves to Harmonise Regional Statistics Convenes Dakar Meeting By Raymond Enoch
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has convened Directors-General of National Statistical Institutes (NSIs) from across the region in Dakar, Senegal, to strengthen statistical harmonisation and improve the quality of data supporting regional integration and economic planning.
The five-day meeting, holding from 27 to 31 July 2026, is part of the implementation of the ECOWAS Statistical Policy and the Regional Statistical Harmonisation and Improvement Projects (PHASAO and PHASAOC), aimed at producing reliable, harmonised and comparable statistics across Member States.
The gathering brings together heads of National Statistical Institutes, experts from the ECOWAS Commission and representatives of key technical and development partners, including the World Bank, the African Union, WAEMU, AFRISTAT, the West African Monetary Agency (WAMA), the African and Malagasy Organization for Standardization (AMAO), the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and Statistics Sweden.
During the meeting, participants are expected to review progress made in implementing recommendations adopted at the previous session, assess the execution of the 2025 budget and validate the 2026 work programme and budget.
The meeting will also examine and adopt a number of methodological guidelines and technical documents designed to strengthen national statistical systems, improve data quality and support the ECOWAS macroeconomic convergence agenda.
ECOWAS said the harmonisation of statistics remains essential for evidence-based policymaking, monitoring regional development programmes and advancing economic integration across West Africa.
The outcome of the Dakar meeting is expected to provide a stronger framework for producing credible and comparable statistics that will guide regional planning, investment decisions and sustainable development initiatives within the ECOWAS Community.
