THE 2025 NATIONAL STATISTICS CONFERENCE

The 2025 National Statistics Conference dubbed “Leveraging innovations in data and statistics to promote a just, peaceful, inclusive and prosperous society for Africans” kicked off today in Nairobi.

The two-day event is convened by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) in conjunction with other partners which include: The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA); the Office of the National Statistics UK among other stakeholders.

The conference coincided with the African Statistics Day (ASD) celebrations which is marked yearly on 18th November across the Continent.

The objectives of the ASD are to promote awareness and accessibility of official Statistics and to encourage both public and private sector engagement in data production and utilization among others.

While Officially opening the Conference the Economic Planning Principal Secretary, Dr Bonface Makokha highlighted that this year’s theme is timely as it aligns well with the 2025 African Union(AU) Summit, the Aspirations of the African Charter on Statistics and the UN Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics. He added that they are all crucial for promoting good governance, accountability and development in Africa.

Moreover, PS Makokha emphasized that statistics remains a vital public good that fuels national development as it informs policy decisions and driving progress.

“Statistics inform resource allocation, guides evidence based planning, strengthens accountability and enables the government to monitor progress under the World Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Kenya Vision 2030 and the Bottom-Up Transformation Agenda (BETA) for inclusive growth” PS Makokha reiterated.

Speaking during the event, the KNBS Board Chair, Dr. Daniel M’Amanja, highlighted that quality, timely and inclusive statistics is the backbone for creating a future where everyone in Kenya and Africa can thrive.

The conference serves as a platform to showcase the latest technology and innovations setting the stage for the 3rd Global Data Festival, which Kenya will host in June 2026 in Nairobi.

Present during the event was the Murang’a Governor, Hon. Irungu Kang’ata, the Economic Planning Director General, Dr. Masini Ichwara, the KNBS Director General, Dr. Macdonald Obudho, the Head of International Economics Partnership and Framework Coordination Directorate, Festus Wangwe, the Interim CEO for Global Partnership, Jenna Slotin, among others officials.