The World Bank has recommended that Nigeria allocate $10 million to $15 million annually to upgrade its national statistical system, aligning it with global standards seen in Brazil, South Africa, Mexico, and Colombia.
According to a statement released by the Director of Information and Public Relations at the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Osagie Jacobs, the recommendation was made by the World Bank Practice Manager for West and Central Africa, Johan Mistiaen, during a courtesy visit to the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, on Wednesday.
Mistiaen, who was accompanied by World Bank Country Director Ndiame Diop, made a presentation titled “Next-Level Statistics to Support Nigeria’s Reform and Growth Agenda.”
According to him, Nigeria’s statistical performance lags behind its aspirational peers and requires consistent funding to close the gap. He stated that an annual investment of $10–15 million would significantly enhance the country’s capacity to produce timely, high-quality data for development planning and policy reforms.
The statement read, “Earlier, Mr. Johan Mistiaen, in his presentation on the next-level statistics to support Nigeria’s reform and growth agenda, observed that the country’s statistical performance was not at par with its aspirational peers as Mexico, Colombia, South Africa, and Brazil. He suggested that investing about $10-15 million annually into the country’s statistical system can raise performance to that of its aspirational peers.”
Senator Bagudu assured that the Federal Government remains committed to the independence of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), pledging continued support for its mandate of producing socio-economic data.
He praised the NBS for maintaining a strong reputation in data collection and analysis, which has been used by international institutions for various economic assessments. Bagudu also thanked the World Bank for its technical and financial support to the agency.
Statistician-General of the Federation and CEO of NBS, Prince Adeyemi Adeniran, also noted that the Bureau had received its highest funding in the last decade from the current administration. He stressed that increased investment and deeper engagement with development partners would enable the agency to perform better and meet growing data demands.
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