The Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, Dr Kalilou Sylla, emphasised the crucial importance for the regional organisation of having reliable and up-to-date statistical data.
He made this statement during a working session on Monday, 19 January 2026, in Dakar, Senegal, with a delegation from the regional office of the United Nations Population Fund for West and Central Africa (UNFPA). This was an opportunity for him to advocate for strengthening the partnership with this UN agency in the production of demographic and civil status data for the West African region.
Dr Kalilou Sylla emphasised the importance of political commitment in supporting the National Statistical Institutes (NSIs) of ECOWAS member states in the production and promotion of statistical data in general and demographic data in particular, pointing out that without political commitment, nothing can be achieved.
