Publication

This report explores the root causes and challenges surrounding sub-Saharan Africa’s slow progress in improving the availability and quality of data. According to the authors, the four main challenges hindering progress include: 1) the limited autonomy of the national statistics offices and their unstable budgets; 2) data inaccuracy created by problems related to incentives and funding; 3) the effect of donor spending on the data collection practices of the national statistics offices; and 4) the limited access to and usability of data in the region. The authors also provide recommendations for governments and donors on how to improve data availability and quality.