African Nations Advance Data Modernization Through AfDB-Led Workshop.

Tuesday, 2nd September 2025

By inAfrika Reporter

The African Development Bank, together with the African Union Institute of Statistics, UNECA’s Africa Centre for Statistics, and other partners, hosted a regional workshop in Addis Ababa to accelerate adoption of the Statistical Data and Metadata Exchange (SDMX) standard. The week-long event, held from 21 to 25 July 2025, brought together representatives from 16 African countries alongside international organizations, including the IMF, World Bank, and FAO.

The workshop provided practical training on SDMX, a global standard that enhances efficiency and integration of statistical data systems. By adopting SDMX, African nations will improve the comparability and reliability of their official statistics, a vital step for evidence-based policymaking. Participants also explored the Bank’s Open Data Platform 2.0, a modernized system designed to make national data platforms interoperable and AI-ready.

Speakers from AfDB, UNECA, and STATAFRIC reaffirmed their commitment to accelerating SDMX adoption and pledged closer collaboration with regional economic communities. The workshop also highlighted Africa’s strong progress in open data practices, citing the Open Data Inventory (ODIN) 2024-2025 report. Ten African countries scored above 60 out of 100, compared to just two in 2020, with Morocco, Burkina Faso, and Senegal ranking among the top 35 performers globally.

Between 2022 and 2024, Africa recorded the highest regional improvement in ODIN scores, increasing by 23%. This reflects stronger institutional capacity and growing commitment to transparency and accessibility of official data.

The Addis Ababa workshop marks a milestone in Africa’s journey to modernize data ecosystems, enabling countries to deliver more credible, inclusive, and responsive policies. By embracing SDMX and open data platforms, African institutions are positioning themselves at the forefront of a digital era where reliable data is central to achieving sustainable and inclusive development.