Rapid digital transformation has changed the nature, scale, and governance of data, and, with it, the role of National Statistics Offices (NSOs). Traditionally mandated to collect, analyse, store and disseminate country data on the economy, population and society, the evolving role of NSOs has been complicated by the exponential growth of platform-generated data, satellite data, and privately held digital data, which has shifted data production and control beyond the public sector. In this new landscape, NSOs are no longer the primary producers of data used for policymaking, and while they are perceived to be among the most trusted public institutions for ensuring data quality, transparency, legitimacy, and public value, their capacity to manage digital processes and production is constrained by out-of-date legislation and mandates, tight public budgets, lack of data infrastructure, low investment into skilled training, political pressures, and poor coordination frameworks for cross-border data flows.
This report looks at the policy challenges shaping national statistics systems in South Africa, Ghana, Kenya and Benin. These case studies show that the expanded role of NSOs as data custodians directly strengthens the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by addressing three of the most persistent bottlenecks in SDG implementation: data gaps, insufficient disaggregation, and the lack of timely, policy-relevant monitoring. The report also finds that the gap between perceived responsibility and formal mandate highlights a growing institutional risk, where NSOs may be held accountable for data outcomes over which they lack legal authority or operational capacity to manage. Crucially, it equally highlights that trust in data institutions is neither automatic nor permanent, but contingent on strong governance arrangements, ethical safeguards, and institutional independence. Making clear policy recommendations, the authors call for regulatory changes that can formalise the role of NSOs as data custodians, moving beyond traditional surveys and censuses to curate, validate, and integrate new forms of digital data for the public interest.
