Zimbabwe’s push toward a fully modernised, data-driven economy took centre stage in Harare as ZIMSTAT Director-General Mrs. Tafadzwa Bandama officially opened the 2025 second-quarter meeting of the Data for Development and Innovation Technical Working Group (DFDI-TWG). Held at the Ambassador Hotel, the session brought together government ministries, the UN family, development partners, academia, civil society, and private-sector players—signalling a united front in transforming how Zimbabwe collects, manages, and uses data. 

The meeting comes at a critical inflection point for the country. Zimbabwe is finalising the evaluation of its National Strategy for the Development of Statistics (NSDS III) and laying the groundwork for NSDS IV (2026–2030). At the same time, the nation is transitioning from NDS1 to the next stage of long-term economic planning, all of which require a 21st-century statistical system capable of feeding real-time, high-quality data into policy decisions. Mrs. Bandama stressed that the demands of global frameworks—Agenda 2030 and Agenda 2063—now require National Statistical Offices (NSOs) to deliver more granular, timely, and inclusive datasets than ever before. 

One of the major highlights was the significant progress achieved since the group’s first 2025 meeting in May. A joint workplan developed earlier in the year has streamlined data collection nationwide by pooling technical expertise across institutions. The approach has reduced duplication, improved coordination, and boosted resource efficiency—setting the tone for a more agile and digitally aligned National Statistical System (NSS). 

ZIMSTAT also reported strong national progress on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) data availability. The country now has 85.5% of its prioritised SDG indicators populated with data—cementing Zimbabwe as one of the region’s leading performers in SDG monitoring. The DFDI-TWG will use this meeting to refine strategies for improving data timeliness and closing the remaining gaps. 

In a major tech-forward announcement, Mrs. Bandama revealed that ZIMSTAT is migrating its existing data infrastructure to create the Open Data Portal 2.0—an integrated, AI-ready platform designed to power modern analytics and machine-learning applications. The enhanced portal, set for launch in early 2026, will unify datasets, improve accessibility, and standardise how government and development partners interact with national statistics. 

This upgrade follows another key milestone: the official launch of OpenSDG in July 2025. The platform allows the public, researchers, and policymakers to track Zimbabwe’s SDG performance in real time, marking a leap forward in transparency and digital governance. 

Despite these breakthroughs, Zimbabwe’s data ecosystem still faces global-standard challenges. NSOs worldwide are under pressure to meet rising demand for disaggregated and real-time data, and Zimbabwe is no exception. To meet this demand, ZIMSTAT is deepening collaborations with local authorities and championing stronger data-sharing frameworks as part of the ongoing amendment of the Census Act. Mrs. Bandama emphasized that the agency remains open to partnerships that strengthen the national statistical system and accelerate innovation. 

She also underscored that national development plans—NDS1, Agenda 2030, and Agenda 2063—can only succeed when backed by accurate, timely data. The DFDI-TWG, she noted, is not just a discussion platform but a national innovation engine where stakeholders shape digital policy direction, unlock new data approaches, and ensure that data ultimately improves livelihoods. 

ZIMSTAT expressed deep appreciation to the United Nations family for its continued support in strengthening Zimbabwe’s data infrastructure. Strong partnerships, the DG added, remain fundamental in ensuring continuous production of quality data and preventing the emergence of data gaps as the country moves into a more technology-centric era of governance. 

Zimbabwe’s data revolution is clearly accelerating. With renewed investment in digital systems, expansion of open-data platforms, and stronger collaborations across all sectors, the nation is positioning itself to harness next-generation analytics, AI integration, and modern statistical technologies. The road ahead is digital, collaborative, and innovation-driven—and ZIMSTAT is steering the country firmly in that direction.