Africa hosts first Gender and Child Statistics Forum in Yaoundé

Stakeholders from across Africa have gathered in Yaoundé, Cameroon, for the inaugural Africa Gender and Child Statistics Forum. Running from 6 July 2026 to 10 July 2026, the event is hosted at the Hilton Hotel and provides both in-person and virtual access to delegates. This forum is a notable evolution in regional development strategy, as it represents the first time child-focused metrics have been fully integrated into the continent’s long-standing gender-based statistical frameworks.

The event is a joint undertaking organized by the African Development Bank Group, the African Union Commission, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (Uneca), UN Women, and UNICEF, working in close collaboration with the National Institute of Statistics of Cameroon. The forum builds upon a series of seven annual gender statistics meetings held since 2017. By expanding the scope of the platform, organizers intend to reflect the interconnected nature of the rights, well-being, and opportunities afforded to women, girls, and boys.

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The theme for the 2026 gathering, Statistics that Matter: Advancing Rights, Justice, and Opportunities for All, signals a drive to pivot away from viewing data collection as a purely technical exercise. Instead, the forum emphasizes the use of evidence to shape public policy and address systemic social inequalities. During the opening sessions, participants including government officials, national statistical offices, civil society representatives, researchers, and private sector delegates discussed methods to improve the quality, coordination, and availability of data.

Léandre Bassolé, the African Development Bank's Director General for Central Africa and Country Manager for Cameroon, highlighted the human reality behind the statistics during his address.

"What gets measured is what changes."

Bassolé noted that behind every data point are individuals, such as women seeking equitable access to credit or land, and children whose protection depends on their visibility in national records. Marie-Pierre Raky Chaupin, the UN Women representative in Cameroon, echoed this sentiment, arguing that data serves as a vital tool for effective governance.

"Data cannot replace political courage or the determination to act. But it provides the evidence we need to act more effectively and more fairly. It allows us to identify what works, measure progress, and hold ourselves accountable for the commitments we have made."

The initiative addresses a persistent challenge: without data disaggregated by age, gender, location, and social status, governments often struggle to design targeted social programs or monitor progress on international and regional commitments, such as the 2030 Agenda, Agenda 2063, and the 2040 Agenda for children. The forum also focuses on the technical side of this integration, serving as a primary venue for advancing preparations for the Africa Gender Index 2027. Developed by the African Development Bank and UNECA, the index is intended to measure progress on gender equality across the continent through an expanded methodology and pilot data collection efforts currently being refined by delegates.

The forum is designed to foster cooperation across national statistical agencies to harmonize reporting standards, which is seen as essential for progress in areas such as healthcare, education, social protection, and access to justice. According to UNECA, the forum is taking place during a period where progress on these rights remains uneven despite long-standing regional and global commitments. Moving forward, the organizers aim to use the outcomes of this week’s discussions to ensure that statistical reporting is not merely a record of the past, but an active component in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of national policies across Africa.