Online Reporter
Tapiwanashe Mangwiro
Zimbabwe’s push to modernise its national data systems has received fresh backing from the United Nations (UN), with development partners describing the country’s new statistical reform programme as critical for economic planning, investment attraction and inclusive growth.
This emerged during the National Strategy for the Development of Statistics (NSDS IV) orientation workshop held in Harare this week, where Government officials, statisticians, development agencies, academics and private sector representatives gathered to begin shaping the country’s statistical roadmap for 2026 to 2030.
Zimbabwe National Statistical Agency director-general Mrs Tafadzwa Bandama told delegates that the new strategy would be central to strengthening Zimbabwe’s National Statistical System at a time when demand for reliable and timely data was increasing across all sectors of the economy.
“As Zimbabwe continues to implement its national development agenda under the National Development Strategy II, the demand for reliable, timely, relevant and disaggregated data has never been greater,” she said.
Mrs Bandama added that evidence-based decision-making had become essential for economic management, policy coordination and accountability.
“Evidence-based decision making is no longer optional; it is a necessity,” she said.
The NSDS IV programme is expected to guide the production, management and coordination of official statistics across government ministries and institutions while aligning Zimbabwe with international frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
The workshop also received strong support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which said modern data systems were increasingly becoming strategic national assets rather than merely technical tools.
