United Nations Under-Secretary-General Claver Gatete called for modernizing statistical systems and establishing artificial intelligence validation standards during the tenth session of STATCOM in Addis Ababa on October 21, 2026.
Modernizing Data Systems
Claver Gatete, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa, stated that reliable data and statistics are essential for public policy and investment decisions. Speaking at the joint gathering of Africa's statistical and geospatial communities, he outlined five key areas for action, including the modernization of foundational data and statistical systems.
Gatete urged countries to establish national data architectures connecting population censuses with national identification systems, civil registration, business registers, and geographic address identifiers. He noted that Africa's unemployment rate stood at 6.3 per cent in 2025, while 84.4 per cent of employment was informal, highlighting the need for broader labor market indicators.
AI and Emerging Technologies
According to Gatete, artificial intelligence, satellite imagery, and digital records can improve statistical timeliness, but they also introduce risks. AI systems trained on incomplete or unrepresentative data can generate misleading results and reinforce existing biases, he said.
Gatete stated that national statistical offices must lead the development of standards for validating emerging data sources, assessing AI outputs, and protecting confidentiality. He also emphasized the integration of statistical and geospatial information to address climate change and economic transformation.
Key facts and where they come from
- Africa's unemployment rate stood at 6.3 per cent in 2025.
Africa's unemployment rate stood at 6.3 per cent in 2025.
- Informal employment accounted for 84.4 per cent of total employment.
Yet, 84.4 per cent of employment was informal.
- The joint STATCOM and UN-GGIM: Africa session opened on October 21, 2026, in Addis Ababa.
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 21 October 2026
