The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission has convened a five-day meeting of Directors-General of the National Statistical Institutes (NSIs) of its Member States in Dakar, Senegal, to strengthen regional cooperation on statistical development and harmonization.
The meeting, which runs from July 27 to 31, 2026, is part of the implementation of the ECOWAS Statistical Policy and the regional Statistical Harmonization and Improvement Projects (PHASAO and PHASAOC).
The initiatives are aimed at improving the production of reliable, harmonized and comparable statistical data to support evidence-based policymaking and deepen regional integration.
Participants are expected to review progress made in implementing recommendations adopted at the previous meeting, assess the execution of the 2025 budget, and validate the 2026 work programme and budget for the regional statistical initiatives.
The Directors-General will also consider and adopt a number of methodological guidelines and technical documents intended to strengthen the statistical capacities of Member States.
The measures are expected to enhance the quality and comparability of official statistics across the region while supporting ECOWAS’ macroeconomic convergence agenda.
The meeting brings together Directors-General of National Statistical Institutes from ECOWAS Member States, experts from the ECOWAS Commission, and representatives of key technical and financial partners.
These include the World Bank, the African Union, the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), AFRISTAT, the West African Monetary Agency (WAMA), the African Monetary Cooperation Programme (AMAO), the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, and Statistics Sweden.
The annual gathering serves as a platform for reviewing regional statistical priorities, coordinating technical cooperation, and promoting the use of high-quality statistics as a foundation for economic planning, policy formulation, and regional development across West Africa.
