Somalia Participates in the 10th Session of Statistical Commission for Africa

Mogadishu, (SONNA) — The Somali National Bureau of Statistics (SNBS) participated in the 10th Session of the Statistical Commission for Africa, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 21–23 October 2026, contributing to discussions on strengthening statistical systems and advancing the responsible use of emerging technologies across the continent.

Held under the theme, “Unleashing the Value of Data in Africa: Making Official Statistics a True Mirror of the Continent,” the session brought together African statistical institutions to discuss trusted and harmonised data and the role of official statistics in economic transformation and sustainable development.

The Director General of SNBS, Dr. Abdisalam Mohamed, participated in a high-level plenary discussion on Artificial Intelligence readiness for official statistics. The discussion explored how national statistical offices can effectively adopt AI while strengthening institutional capacity, digital infrastructure, data governance and technical expertise.

SNBS highlighted the potential of AI to improve statistical production, data processing and analysis, identify emerging trends and increase the accessibility of official statistics for decision-makers. It also stressed that AI should complement professional statistical judgement while safeguarding accuracy, independence, confidentiality and public trust.

The session further addressed inequality, regional disparities, informal economic activity, vulnerability and environmental pressures, with participants discussing ways to ensure African statistical systems better reflect the continent’s development realities.

Somalia’s participation forms part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the national statistical system, improve the quality and relevance of official data and support evidence-based planning, investment and public policy.