The National Agency for Statistics and Demography (ANSD) of Senegal will organise the International Data Forum in Dakar, Senegal, from 23 to 25 November 2026 at the King Fahd Palace. Held under the theme “Economic and Social Governance: Data as a Driver for Development”, the Forum is organised as ANSD celebrates its 20th anniversary, and its official opening ceremony will be held under the High Patronage of H.E. the President of the Republic of Senegal.

The Forum is expected to bring together more than 500 participants, including government authorities, national statistical offices, international and regional organisations, technical and financial partners, universities and research centres, the private sector, civil society and the media. Through ten thematic panels, plenary sessions and experience-sharing discussions, it will address the production, governance, accessibility and use of data to inform public decision-making, covering, inter alia, the sovereignty and financing of public statistics, data security in a context of interoperability and digitalisation, data in the service of women’s inclusion, new data sources, climate and agricultural data, youth and employment, statistical professions and skills, quality assurance and harmonisation of methods, and statistical coordination within national statistical systems.

SESRIC, in its capacity as the Secretariat of the OIC Statistical Commission (OIC-StatCom), will be represented at the Forum following the invitation extended to SESRIC by ANSD. The participation will provide an opportunity to follow the discussions and to engage with data producers, users and partners on issues of common interest to the national statistical systems of OIC Member Countries.

The Forum also comes shortly after Senegal, through ANSD, assumed the Chairmanship of the OIC-StatCom, for which SESRIC serves as the Secretariat, at its 15th Session held in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on 29-30 September 2026. H.E. Dr. Abdou DIOUF, Director General of ANSD, chairs the 15th Session on behalf of the OIC Africa Group.

For further information on the Forum, please visit the official pages: Forum website | ANSD website