The ECOWAS Commission’s Directorate of Research and Statistics has recommended that the Commission increase its financial allocation to the directorate to reduce reliance on development partners and sustain statistical work across West Africa.
The recommendation was among a series of conclusions issued at the close of a strategic seminar held at Zuma Rock in Niger State, Nigeria, which ended on Saturday 24 October 2026.
According to a report from the Economic Community of West African States, participants also called on the Commission to develop a regional data governance framework, describing it as a prerequisite for any expansion of digital platforms, databases and applications built on artificial intelligence.
The recommendations split between those addressed to the Commission and those aimed at the directorate itself.
At the technical level, the directorate was asked to set up a regional technical working group to strengthen coordination between itself, ECOWAS member states, the African Union Statistical Institute (STATAFRIC) and development partners, with the aim of improving data exchange and harmonisation.
It was further urged to work closely with other ECOWAS institutions, directorates and agencies to digitise and automate the collection, processing and dissemination of data, and to guide those bodies through data validation processes, including by organising regular meetings of internal technical committees.
On technology, participants urged the directorate to acquire new servers for data storage and state-of-the-art statistical and econometric software, and to integrate geographic information systems coupled with AI into its data management systems to improve analysis and decision-making.
They also called for sophisticated data management practices covering metadata standards, backups, version control and cybersecurity, alongside the dissemination of methodological guidelines on national accounts and the Consumer Price Index by 30 November 2026.
The Commission was encouraged to produce regional statistics and publications as frequently as possible, including economic reports, scorecards and statistical notes, and to establish a regional performance scorecard tracking member states’ progress on key statistical indicators, particularly national accounts and economic statistics.
On internal governance, the Director of Research and Statistics, Samson Bel-Aube Nougbodohoué, committed to strengthening staff skills in data governance, forecasting, research methods, digitalisation and the responsible use of AI, through capacity-building programmes and continuous professional development.
He also undertook to align staff tasks with annual performance targets and contract terms, and to foster teamwork, mutual respect, trust, commitment, communication and social cohesion through quarterly staff activities.
The seminar gave participants the opportunity to review the directorate’s mandate, evaluate ongoing programmes, analyse institutional capacities and identify strategic priorities and resource requirements.
The Directorate of Research and Statistics handles statistics, research, data management, monitoring and analytical support within the Commission, and is responsible for the data, indicators, analytical outputs and monitoring frameworks used to measure progress towards ECOWAS’s Vision 2050 and the strategic priorities set by the Commission’s current management.
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