SADC Statistics Committee Meets in South Africa to strengthen regional statistics programmes

The Southern African Development Community (SADC), with support from the Republic of South Africa, will hold the SADC Statistics Committee meeting in Cape Town from 26 - 28 May 2026. The meeting will bring together statistics experts and government officials from across the region to review progress on regional statistics programmes and strengthen the production and use of quality data in SADC Member States.

Discussions will focus on how Member States are implementing key regional statistics frameworks, including the SADC Protocol on Statistics and the Regional Strategy for the Development of Statistics (RSDS). Participants will also review progress in areas such as economic growth, poverty, trade, gender, agriculture, labour and price statistics.

As the main regional body responsible for coordinating statistics, the SADC Statistics Committee helps improve how data is collected, analysed and shared across Member States. Its work supports evidence-based policymaking, regional planning and the production of reliable and comparable statistics throughout the region.

The meeting will also discuss regional and national statistical policies, including efforts to encourage more Member States to sign and ratify the SADC Protocol on Statistics, which was approved by the SADC Summit in August 2021.

Key discussions will include:

• Reviewing progress on regional statistics programmes and projects.

• Assessing activities aimed at strengthening statistical capacity in Member States.

• Evaluating progress in the digital transformation of statistical systems to improve efficiency.

• Reviewing implementation of regional statistical development initiatives, including the RSDS.

• Receiving updates on international statistical standards and continental statistics initiatives.

• Promoting the use of harmonised statistical methods, standards and indicators across the region.

• Strengthening coordination in data collection, reporting and monitoring of economic, social and environmental indicators.

The outcomes of the meeting are expected to strengthen regional cooperation in statistics and support better policymaking, regional integration and sustainable development across the SADC region.