By: Saidu Jalloh
On African Statistics Day, observed annually on November 18, the Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Ms. Kenyeh Barlay, delivered a keynote address highlighting the transformative role of modern statistical systems in addressing educational challenges and driving national development.
This year’s theme, “Supporting Education by Modernizing the Production of Fit-for-Purpose Statistics,” aligns with Sierra Leone’s Medium-Term National Development Plan (MTNDP) 2024–2030 and the African Union’s 2024 focus on education: Educating and Skilling Africa for the 21st Century.
In her remarks, the Minister emphasized that education remains central to human capital development, which is critical to Sierra Leone’s sustainable growth. She highlighted key priorities, including closing gender gaps in literacy, expanding access to education in underserved rural communities, and improving the quality of learning through targeted investments. While acknowledging the strides made under initiatives such as the Free Quality School Education program, she noted ongoing challenges such as disparities in teacher allocation, inadequate rural infrastructure, and the need for continued efforts to enhance youth literacy rates.
The Minister stressed the importance of modernizing Sierra Leone’s data ecosystem to address these challenges effectively. She outlined the government’s focus on adopting digital data collection systems, which will improve enrolment, literacy, and resource allocation tracking. Real-time monitoring tools will also enhance the evaluation of key programs, such as the Free Quality School Education initiative, ensuring better policy outcomes. Additionally, Sierra Leone will continue aligning its data systems with regional frameworks, such as the African Charter on Statistics, to enhance the reliability and comparability of statistical outputs.
Ms. Barlay also highlighted Sierra Leone’s efforts to integrate national development goals with regional and global frameworks, including the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 4, which advocates for inclusive and equitable education. She expressed confidence that aligning national initiatives with these frameworks would strengthen the country’s ability to build a skilled workforce capable of driving economic growth and social cohesion.
In her call to action, the Minister urged stakeholders to strengthen Sierra Leone’s statistical capacities, promote data-driven policies, and foster community engagement in data collection to ensure that policies reflect the realities on the ground. She commended Statistics Sierra Leone’s efforts in advancing the nation’s data systems and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to using accurate, timely data as a cornerstone for addressing educational disparities.
African Statistics Day 2024 underscored Sierra Leone’s dedication to leveraging statistics to overcome educational challenges and achieve its broader development aspirations, demonstrating a commitment to transforming education into a catalyst for sustainable progress.