Mahama urges African leaders boost state statistical services

President John Mahama has challenged African leaders to develop the capacity of their state institutions to enable them generate reliable statistics on their activities.

The President contended that such moves would be essential if Africa is to achieve its targets in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

President Mahama made these remarks during a breakfast meeting on the sidelines of the 27th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly of Heads of State in Kigali, Rwanda.

President Mahama, speaking in his capacity as a Co-Chair of the UN Eminent Persons on SDGs, said “it is important that we build up the capacity of national statistical institutions because it is important to have real time statistics to be able to make the implementation adjustments that you have to as you go along in the implementation of the SDG's.”

Addressing his fellow Heads of States, he also blamed the continent's inability to meet some targets under the Millennium Development Goals on the absence of reliable data.

President Mahama thus urged them to pay particular attention to improving the quality of statistics gathered by state institutions.

“In the course of our advocacy work, all government must pay much attention to building the capacity of national statistics institutions at both the national and local levels in order improve the quality of statistics available.”

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana