First Africa Gender and Child Statistics Forum to Convene in Yaoundé in July 2026

29 June 2026

African Development Bank (Abidjan)

What: First Africa Gender and Child Statistics Forum (AGCSF 2026)

Who: The African Development Bank Group, the African Union Commission (AUC), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), UNICEF, UN Women, and the National Institute of Statistics (NIS) of Cameroon.

When: 6 - 10 July 2026, 9:00 to 17:00 (Yaoundé time)

Where: Hilton Hotel, Yaoundé, Cameroon and online (hybrid format)

The First Africa Gender and Child Statistics Forum (AGCSF 2026) will take place from 6-10 July 2026 in Yaoundé, Cameroon, bringing together key stakeholders from across Africa to advance the production and use of gender and child statistics in support of evidence-based policymaking and inclusive development.

The event will be jointly organised by the African Development Bank, the African Union Commission (AUC), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), UN Women and UNICEF, in collaboration with the National Institute of Statistics of Cameroon (INS).Themed "Statistics that Matter: Advancing Rights, Justice, and Opportunities for All", the event will bring together government officials, national statistical offices, development partners, civil society organisations, researchers, justice sector institutions, and private sector representatives to discuss concrete actions to strengthen the production and use of gender and child statistics across Africa. Participants will exchange experiences, innovations, and best practices to enhance evidence-based policymaking and strengthen accountability, inclusion, and access to justice.

The Africa Gender and Child Statistics Forum is a multi-stakeholder platform that advances gender and child data systems, strengthens statistical capacity, and promotes the use of data to accelerate gender equality, children's rights, and inclusive development across the continent.

The inaugural edition marks a significant milestone in the Forum's evolution. For the first time, child statistics will be fully integrated into the Forum's scope, reflecting the growing recognition that the rights, well-being, and opportunities of women, girls, and boys are closely interconnected.

The Forum will also serve as a key platform for advancing preparations for the Africa Gender Index (AGI) 2027, a tool jointly developed by the Bank and UNECA to measure progress on gender equality across Africa and help inform evidence-based policy-making. Discussions will also cover the expanded methodology and pilot data collection.

Since its inception in 2017 as Africa Gender Statistics Forum, the Forum has served as Africa's premier platform for dialogue, collaboration, capacity building, and knowledge sharing on gender statistics. AGCSF 2026 builds on the achievements of previous editions while expanding its scope to include child statistics, contributing to continental priorities under Agenda 2063, the SDGs, and broader commitments to gender equality, children's rights, and social inclusion.

Read the original article on African Development Bank (AfDB).