ECOWAS Deepens Efforts to Standardise Regional Statistical Data

The ECOWAS Commission’s Directorate of Research and Statistics will hold two regional workshops in Abidjan, Ivory Coast from August 18 to 22, 2026 to strengthen the production, quality and harmonization of statistical data in the ECOWAS region.

“This is part of the regional priorities for modernizing statistical systems and falls within the framework of the PHASAOC project which aims, notably, to improve statistical performance, access to data and their use in member states,” ECOWAS said on its website.

The first workshop on migration statistics will serve as the venue for the 6th Regional Coordination Meeting on enhancing the availability, quality and comparability of national data related to regional migration indicators.

In particular, the proceedings will provide an opportunity to review and validate the third edition of the Regional Report on International Migration in West Africa and promote the dissemination of disaggregated statistics, in line with the guidelines of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers.

The second workshop is on capacity building for members of the National Coordination Committees and National Economic Policy Committees to operationalize the Common Regional Frameworks for the Compilation and Publication of Macroeconomic Statistics.

This will help to strengthen multilateral surveillance and support the implementation of the ECOWAS Pact on Macroeconomic Convergence and Stability.

They will also review the updating and populating of the ECOMAC and ECOBASE databases, and the processing and harmonization of national statistics covering the period 2000–2025, to ensure their comparability and reliability.

Present at the opening ceremony were the Director General of the National Statistics Agency of Ivory Coast, Mr. Touré Brahima, represented by Mr. Thiékoro Doumbia, Director of Research and Statistics at the ECOWAS Commission, Professor Félix N’Zué, as well as the ECOWAS National Points of Contact, members of the Technical Working Group on Migration Data, representatives of the ECOWAS Commission’s technical departments, including experts from AFRISTAT, AFRITAC-West, AMAO, IMAO and the UEMOA Commission.

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In his opening remarks, President of the National Economic Policy Committee of Ivory Coast, Mr. Hien Sansan, on behalf of Mr. Adama Coulibaly, Minister of Economy, Finance, and Budget of the Republic of Ivory Coast, welcomed the various experts present in Côte d’Ivoire.

He highlighted the significance of the meeting, which will promote the adoption and effective implementation of regional frameworks for the compilation and publication of macroeconomic statistics that are essential for multilateral surveillance.

The Director of Research and Statistics of the ECOWAS Commission, Professor Félix N’Zué, who represented the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, and the Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, Dr. Kalilou Sylla, welcomed the participants to the two day workshops.

Vision 2050
The workshops form part of the ambitions of ECOWAS Vision 2050 and the ECOWAS Statistical Policy, adopted by the Heads of State and Government, which recognizes statistics as a regional public good essential for planning, monitoring public policies and assessing progress toward regional integration.

“Without harmonized, comparable and regularly produced statistics, it would be difficult to objectively assess the progress of our member states, guide economic and social policies, and measure the concrete effects of our regional programs. Statistics aren’t just numbers anymore. Today they are a strategic instrument of governance, transparency and foresight,” said Professor N’Zué.

Along the same lines, the Director General of the National Statistics Agency of Côte d’Ivoire, Mr. Touré Brahima, on behalf of Mr. Thiékoro Doumbia, lauded the ECOWAS Commission, which through the Directorate of Research and Statistics is scaling up initiatives to foster better production and use of statistics in the region.

The ECOWAS Commission reiterates its commitment to the promotion of reliable, harmonized and accessible statistical data, which are indispensable for the development of evidence-based public policies and the strengthening of regional integration.