Yobe State Vows Data Reform to Unlock Economic Potential Following High-Level Workshop

September 18, 2025

In a decisive move to harness its youthful population for economic growth, the Yobe State government has committed to a major overhaul of its data management systems. This resolution follows a five-day capacity-building workshop on Human Capital Development and Demographic Dividend (HCD-DD).

The workshop, supported by the Lafiya UK Project and chaired by the State Deputy Governor, brought together top officials from various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), alongside development partners and data institutions. The central goal was to strengthen the use of accurate demographic data in planning and implementing the state's development agenda.

During the deliberations, participants identified critical challenges crippling effective data use in the state. Key issues include low technical skills among data managers, significant discrepancies in data from different sources, and the use of outdated population figures that distort planning. A reluctance by some officers to release data due to "supervisory bottlenecks" was also highlighted as a major impediment.

Furthermore, the absence of dedicated Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) units in many MDAs and the lack of a comprehensive state-level M&E policy were cited as fundamental flaws in the system.

In response to these challenges, the workshop produced a series of firm resolutions aimed at creating a data-driven government. Key decisions include;the workshop will seek the Deputy Governor's support to form a competent, high-level M&E team to oversee data integrity.All official data will be centralized within the State Bureau of Statistics to ensure consistency and comparability across all sectors and A directive was issued that all data used for planning must be updated, realistic, and aligned with achievable targets.

Others are;all MDAs are to establish or revive results-oriented M&E units for effective program tracking and a significant shift in focus from the planning stage to effective implementation was demanded to accelerate progress.

The resolutions also specifically call for the inclusion of local context, noting that valuable suggestions from the workshop—including the reflection of Islamic provisions in state plans—should be integrated into development planning, acknowledging Yobe's predominantly Muslim population.

In their concluding remarks, participants reaffirmed a strong commitment to strengthening collaboration between state and national data institutions. They pledged to enhance institutional capacity and embed evidence-based decision-making into the core of the HCD-DD framework.

The successful realization of these reforms is seen as critical for Yobe State to accelerate progress and finally unlock the potential of its demographic dividend—the economic growth that can result from shifts in a population’s age structure, particularly when the working-age population is larger than the non-working-age share.