The African Union (AU) Institute for Statistics (STATAFRIC) is organizing a series of high-level statistical meetings in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This coordinated effort brings together the continent's key statistical leaders and policymakers to advance the African Statistical System (ASS).

The culminating event, the 19th Session of the Committee of Directors General of National Statistics Offices (CoDGs), will be held under the AU Theme of the Year 2025: “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations”. This theme, officially decided upon by AU Heads of State and Government, serves as a powerful call to integrate historical redress into contemporary development discourse and coincides with the start of the Second International Decade for People of African Descent (2025-2034).

Key Events and Dates

·      7th SHaSA 2 Executive Committee (EC) Meeting 26–29 November 2025  

·      20th African Statistical Coordination Committee (ASCC) Session 1–2 December 2025  

·      19th Committee of Directors General of National Statistics Offices (CoDGs) Session 3–5 December 2025  

The Strategic Framework for African Statistics

The series of meetings is dedicated to the robust implementation of two critical policy instruments:

1. The Strategy for the Harmonisation of Statistics in Africa (SHaSA 2)

Adopted by the AU Heads of State Summit in January 2018, the SHaSA 2 is the Continental Strategy for the Development of Statistics in Africa for the 2017-2026 period.

Goal: To enable the ASS to generate quality, harmonised statistics that are available and accessible to support the designing, planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of Africa's integration policies and inclusive development, including Agenda 2063.

Monitoring: The implementation of SHaSA 2 requires a mid-term assessment to evaluate its impact and progress toward its objectives.

2. The African Charter on Statistics

Adopted in February 2009 by the AU Assembly, the Charter serves as a policy framework and legal instrument for statistical development in Africa.

Status: 30 countries had officially ratified the Charter[JA1] . The mobilization of all stakeholders to fully implement the Charter remains a major challenge.

Significance: It serves as a code of professional ethics and best practices for statisticians, promoting decision-making based on statistical information and fostering statistical capacities on the continent.

Expected Outcomes and Participation

The combined sessions are expected to yield key strategic directions for the African Statistical System, including:

·      Endorsement of technical reports, statistical standards, and policies.

·      Finalization of the SHaSA 2 Mid-Term Review process.

·      Agreement on a way forward for strengthening the statistics capacity of the Regional Economic Communities (RECs).

·      A concerted plan for advancing the statistical support required for the AU's 2025 theme on Reparatory Justice.

Target Participants

Participants will include Directors General of National Statistics Offices of AU Member States, the four Continental Coordinators for SHaSA 2 (AUC-STATAFRIC, AfDB, ACBF, and ECA), representatives from RECs and AFRISTAT, Statistical Training Centers, and other regional and international partners.

For More Information:

1.    Dr. Jose Awong Alene |Ag. Head, Statistics System Coordination & Innovation Division| AU STATAFRIC| Email: Alenej@africaunion.org

2.    Ms. Aberash Tariku| Coordination Expert| AU STATAFRIC| Email: AberashT@africanunion.org

Media Contact:

1.    Noel John Kenyi | Information and Communication Directorate| Email: Kenyin@africanunion.org