
Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Simplex Chithyola Banda, on Thursday, presided over the opening of a high-level meeting organized by the National Statistical Office (NSO) of Malawi in partnership with the United Nations Statistics Division.
The meeting focused on advancing the use of citizen-generated data (CGD) for evidence-based policymaking, emphasizing its critical role in monitoring Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and addressing the needs of marginalized communities.
In his remarks, the Minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to amplify the voices of marginalized communities.
“Such voices should form the evidence required to influence and inform policy decisions and programming. The Malawi Agenda 2063 will be achieved if the enabler, capacity building, is realized.

“Empowering ordinary Malawians to express their challenges and propose solutions through citizen-generated data is a significant milestone,” he said.
Director of Demography and Social Statistics at the NSO, Tiope Mleme, highlighted the importance of innovative data sources like CGD in addressing the gaps in SDG monitoring, particularly for populations often excluded from traditional methods.
“The NSO has been recognized for bridging data gaps through partnerships with state and non-state actors. Efforts are underway to develop a National CGD Toolkit in collaboration with civil society organizations to streamline citizen data use in policymaking,” she added.
Speaking at the event, Officer-in-Charge of Data Integration at the United Nations Statistics Division, Haoyi Chen, reaffirmed the UNs commitment to supporting Malawis efforts to enhance citizen data production and utilization.
“This initiative empowers Malawians to use data and impact peoples lives while addressing critical data gaps. The UN remains committed to fostering partnerships for sustainable data production and use,” she stated.
The workshop fostered trust among stakeholders and resulted in a draft plan to integrate citizen data into the Malawis national data ecosystem.
The plan prioritizes inclusive and representative data collection, shaped by input from civil society organizations, human rights institutions, and government entities.