Member States of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have reaffirmed their commitment to utilizing Mobile Phone Data (MPD) to address the limitations of traditional statistical collection methods. This consensus was expressed during the Regional Workshop on Leveraging Mobile Phone Data for SADC Statistics, held from 19 May to 22 May 2025, in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Participants emphasized the critical role of accurate, timely statistics in fostering regional integration and socio-economic progress. High-quality data is vital for informed policymaking, effective implementation, and tracking progress toward regional and national development targets.
Mr. James Mutandwa Madya, Deputy Director for Policy and Strategic Planning at Zimbabwe’s Ministry of ICT, Postal and Courier Services and Chair of SADC, highlighted the importance of integrating MPD into National Statistical Systems (NSS). He stressed that harnessing MPD can enhance data quality, support policy development, and improve service delivery to promote sustainable growth, regional infrastructure, and economic integration. Mr. Madya noted that the workshop’s objectives align with the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2020–2030 and the SADC Vision 2050.
He also underscored the need for regional cooperation and harmonized data collection practices, emphasizing that consistency and comparability are essential for producing reliable, actionable statistics. Furthermore, he called for increased support for SADC’s digital initiatives, including the Digital Inclusion for All Framework, the SADC Digital Transformation Strategy (DTS), the Big Data Framework, and the SADC ICT Observatory—all of which stand to benefit from MPD integration.
Dr. George Ah-Thew, SADC Senior Programme Officer for ICT, expressed enthusiasm about the high-level participation and active engagement from both government and private sector stakeholders in the MPD ecosystem. He highlighted the involvement of key institutions such as Ministries of ICT, National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs), National Statistical Offices (NSOs), Data Protection Agencies (DPAs), and Mobile Network Operators (MNOs). He pointed out that widespread mobile phone usage — currently at 95.2% region-wide, with seven Member States exceeding 100% penetration — demonstrates the region’s readiness to leverage MPD for development and policymaking.
Dr. Ah-Thew noted that while private businesses have long used MPD for innovation, governments and international organizations are increasingly recognizing its strategic value for generating real-time, disaggregated data on population movement, traffic, disaster response, tourism and migration. He encouraged Member States to prioritize MPD as a vital data resource to enhance statistical responsiveness and cost-efficiency, ultimately strengthening NSOs and informing better policy.
Representing the World Bank Group, Ms. Maria Gabriela Farfan Betran, Senior Economist, praised SADC’s proactive approach in adopting MPD. She referenced the World Bank’s Global Data Facility (GDF), which recently launched a support window to bolster MPD use in official statistics and policymaking. Ms. Betran reaffirmed the Bank’s commitment to assisting SADC through capacity-building programs and integrating MPD into national data systems.
She also highlighted the partnership between the SADC Secretariat and the World Bank Group, noting that the GDF’s initiatives — including the SADC GDF-MPD Seed Grants — aim to develop institutional arrangements for MPD. Member States were invited to submit their MPD project proposals by 30 June 2025, with grants awarded in September 2025. This marks an exciting phase for SADC’s use of MPD.
Mr. Deepchandsingh Jagai, SADC Senior Programme Officer for Statistics, called on Member States to foster innovation within the data ecosystem, emphasizing that MPD complements traditional data sources and facilitates rapid, cost-effective statistical production responsive to development needs.
The MPD initiative forms part of the broader SADC Regional Statistics Project, financed with support from the World Bank Group. This project seeks to strengthen institutional capacity across Member States to produce, share, and utilize high-quality statistics while promoting regional harmonization and collaboration.
Over four days, the workshop aimed to deepen understanding of MPD’s potential and develop practical strategies for its integration. Participants engaged in capacity-building activities, technical training and the development of country-specific Action Plans to embed MPD into their national statistical systems. Discussions also focused on policy alignment and implementation strategies to ensure successful adoption.
The event concluded with four technical sessions showcasing MPD applications in population statistics, internet usage measurement, real-time welfare monitoring, migration tracking, and the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for statistical purposes.
Participants included government officials from ICT sectors, NRAs, NSOs, MNOs, DPAs, regional ICT agencies such as CRASA, SATA and SAPOA, as well as representatives from partners like the World Bank Group, the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (GPSDD) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).