UBOS, Danish Embassy Strengthen Statistical Cooperation

The Executive Director and Chief Statistician of Uganda, Dr Chris N. Mukiza, on Tuesday hosted a delegation from the Danish Embassy to advance discussions on strengthening long-term statistical cooperation between Uganda and Denmark.

The meeting follows an earlier engagement between the Ambassador of Denmark to Uganda and the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), during which both sides expressed commitment to establishing a structured and durable partnership between UBOS and Statistics Denmark.

According to UBOS, the collaboration will be anchored on three strategic areas: capacity building, strengthening bilateral relations and enhancing public–private partnerships.

A key focus of the partnership will be diversifying statistical production, with particular emphasis on climate change statistics—an area increasingly critical for national development planning, global reporting obligations, and tracking environmental resilience.

Digitising Administrative Data a Priority

In his remarks, Dr Mukiza thanked the Danish delegation for their commitment to supporting Uganda’s statistical development. He stressed that the digitisation of administrative data will be central to Uganda’s next phase of statistical transformation.

He noted that integrating vital records—including births, deaths, and National Identification Numbers (NINs)—into the National Statistical System is essential for improving accuracy, efficiency, and timely delivery of official statistics.

Dr Mukiza also called for “concerted and sustained efforts” from both UBOS and Denmark to ensure the success and long-term sustainability of the partnership.

Denmark Commits to Supporting a Stronger Statistical System

Speaking on behalf of the Danish delegation, Jaspa Ellemose Jersen highlighted Denmark’s commitment to supporting Uganda in building a robust and well-coordinated statistical system.

He said the collaboration will: strengthen the National Statistical System, increase funding and political support for statistics, stimulate greater demand for high-quality data, promote evidence-based decision-making across government and private sector and improve the analysis, compilation, and dissemination of key statistical products.

“The program will help enhance the production of relevant statistics and ensure that data becomes a central tool for policy formulation,” Jersen noted.

High-Level Delegation and Next Steps

Other members of the Danish delegation included Jacob Jepsen, Michael Skoubo, and Sarah Fortunate.

In the coming days, the delegation will hold technical sessions with a UBOS team led by Mr Thomas Rutaro, Director of Methodology and Statistical Coordination Services. These meetings will focus on developing a detailed strategy and implementation roadmap.

The program is expected to run until 2035, marking one of the most significant long-term partnerships aimed at strengthening Uganda’s statistical capacity and advancing its national development agenda.