In Yaoundé, Cameroon, something remarkable happened last week that could change how African governments help women and children. For five days, policymakers, statisticians, and researchers came together for Africa's first Forum on Gender and Child Statistics—a gathering specifically designed to improve the numbers that shape decisions about people's lives.
The forum, called AGCSF 2026, was organized by the African Development Bank Group along with the African Union Commission, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, UN Women, UNICEF, and Cameroon's own National Institute of Statistics. Together, they brought over 600 participants to discuss a simple but powerful idea: better data means better policies for women and children across the continent.
This was not just any meeting. It marked a major expansion of an earlier effort. The African Forum on Gender Statistics started back in 2017, but this year it grew to fully include child-related data for the first time. That broader approach gives governments a more complete picture of the challenges facing women, children, and vulnerable communities.
Throughout the forum, delegates talked about how to improve the collection and use of statistics on issues that matter most. Topics ranged from violence against women and children to legal identity, migration, climate change, and women's leadership. Participants also explored how new tools like artificial intelligence and digital technologies could modernize how Africa tracks progress on equality and rights.
One concrete outcome from the week was progress on the African Gender Index, a tool that measures gender equality across countries. The 2027 edition of this index received updates to its methodology after a pilot data collection phase, bringing it closer to helping nations track where they stand and what needs to improve.
By the end of the forum, participants made a clear call: they want this event to become an annual gathering. They also urged African governments to invest more in their national statistical systems, encouraged development partners to keep supporting high-quality data collection, and asked statistical institutions to modernize how they work.
The hope is that by making statistics stronger and more reliable, African countries can design policies that truly support women, children, and sustainable development for everyone.