By Matik Kueth
South Sudan is set to overhaul its statistical infrastructure through a new partnership with Rwanda’s National Institute of Statistics (NISR), aiming to bring the country’s data systems into the digital age.
The collaboration comes after Dr. Augustino Ting Mayai, Director General of South Sudan’s National Bureau of Statistics (SSNBS), visited Kigali to meet NISR leaders on Monday, including Director General Ivan Murenzi.
The discussions centered on training, system modernization, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and innovative methods for data collection and analysis.
In a statement, Mayai emphasized that Rwanda’s transformation from post-conflict challenges into a model regional statistical agency offers valuable lessons for South Sudan.
“Rwanda has built world-class statistical systems from scratch after a difficult past. South Sudan can learn a lot from their experience in capacity building, technology adoption, and data-driven governance,” he said.
The partnership is expected to tackle South Sudan’s longstanding gaps in demographic, economic, and social data, which have hindered policy planning.
The country last conducted a full census in 2008, and recent population estimates put the population at around 12.4 million.
Officials said the initiative could lay the groundwork for a fully modernized, real-time data system in South Sudan, improving decision-making across government sectors.