By Woke Joshua
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission has launched a capacity-building programme for statistical leaders from member states and Mauritania as part of efforts to improve national statistical systems across the region.
The five-day training, which began on October 5 and will run until October 9, 2026, is taking place in Monrovia, Liberia.
The programme is being organised by the ECOWAS Department of Economic Affairs and Agriculture under the World Bank-funded Project for the Harmonisation and Improvement of Statistics in West and Central Africa (HISWACA).
It brings together managers from National Statistical Offices (NSOs) and National Statistical Systems (NSSs) of ECOWAS member states and Mauritania, alongside representatives of the West African Monetary Agency (WAMA), West African Monetary Institute (WAMI) and technical personnel of the ECOWAS Commission.
The training is focused on strengthening leadership and managerial competencies required to improve the performance and effectiveness of statistical institutions.
Participants are expected to acquire modern skills for managing teams, responding to changes in the data ecosystem and improving the production and use of quality official statistics.
ECOWAS said the initiative would help strengthen National Statistical Systems and support the availability of reliable data for policymaking and development planning across West Africa.