Addis Ababa, 26 March 2015 (ECA_AUC) - Information is the lifeblood of all decision-making processes. Without high-quality data to provide the right facts on the right things at the right time to the right people, designing, monitoring and evaluating effective policies becomes almost impossible. In Africa, the regional integration agenda requires quality statistical information and harmonised data across time and space, in order to address the related political, cultural and socioeconomic issues.
On Saturday, 28 March 2015 the Economic Commission for Africa’s African Centre for Statistics will convene a High Level Conference with policy makers, innovators and industry leaders on the Data Revolution.
Speaking ahead of the Conference and Workshop, Mr Dozie Ezigbalike, Acting Director of the African Statistics Division, said: “In the context of this meeting, the data revolution in Africa relates to the process of bringing together diverse data communities in order to embrace a diverse range of data sources, tools, and innovative technologies, to provide disaggregated data for decision- making, service delivery and citizen engagement; and information for Africa to own its narrative. In the global context, the data revolution means more demand, more data, more communities, more usage, more results and more engagement – an inspiring vision of a world of fast-flowing data deployed for the public good, and of citizens and governments excited and empowered by the possibilities this creates.”
The conference, which is being co-hosted by the African Union Commission and the African Development Bank as part of the Conference of Ministers meeting will include keynote addresses from thought leaders on data issues. Discussants will share reports prepared by the various data communities on the roles played by their constituencies in the emerging data ecosystems and how this would meet the requirements of the post-2015 sustainable development goals. Short statements from the panellists will also be presented, after which a report will be tabled at the Joint ECA-AU Conference of Ministers for endorsement and adoption.
It is envisaged that an “African Data Consensus” will be reached, mirroring the call in the IEAG report for a global data consensus. The Consensus will establish the core principles on which the data revolution will become a reality in Africa, as well as a roadmap for its realisation.
Jointly issued by the ECA and the AUC