The Youth Café is pleased to share highlights from our participation in African Statistics Day 2025, commemorated on 18 November 2025 under the leadership of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). This annual event brings together statisticians, policymakers, development practitioners, and civil society to emphasize the crucial role of data and statistics in driving Africa’s sustainable development.
This year’s theme, “Leveraging innovations in data and statistics to promote a just, peaceful, inclusive and prosperous society for Africans”, strongly aligned with our mission to champion youth-centered, evidence-based development across the continent.
Our Engagement and Contribution
The Youth Café joined regional stakeholders in reflecting on the future of Africa’s data systems, the role of emerging technologies, and the importance of inclusive statistical ecosystems that accurately represent the lived experiences of Africa’s population, especially young people.
During the commemoration, our engagement focused on:
Advocating for youth-driven data innovation
Sharing insights from our ongoing work in evidence-based policy engagement
Strengthening partnerships with institutions working to advance statistical capacity
Emphasizing the importance of accessible and disaggregated data for youth development
These conversations strengthened our commitment to supporting statistical development as a foundation for social justice, sustainable growth, and inclusive governance.
Why This Matters
Reliable and innovative data systems remain central to Africa’s development aspirations. As digital tools, AI, and new technologies continue to evolve, they create unprecedented opportunities to improve governance, service delivery, and youth empowerment.
African Statistics Day 2025 provided a timely platform for The Youth Café to advocate for greater youth inclusion in data dialogues and to emphasize the need for evidence-driven solutions at every level of development.
Looking Ahead
The insights and partnerships gained during this event will continue to shape our future initiatives as we work to strengthen youth engagement in data governance, digital transformation, and policy innovation. We remain committed to ensuring that data is not only collected, but harnessed to transform the lives of young people across the continent.
We appreciate UNECA and all partners for an impactful commemoration of African Statistics Day 2025, and we look forward to continued collaboration toward strengthening Africa’s data landscape.