The Sudan Evidence Base and Data Literacy Capacity Development Programme will be the first of its kind in the country, working to improve development outcomes by building up the ability of the Sudanese government, at both a national and local level, to understand, use and respond to insights provided by data and statistics.

“There is a recognisable need for reliable data in Sudan,” explained Igbal Khalid of Sudan’s Ministry of Finance and Planning.

“We are pleased to start the first statistical and data literacy training course.”

The World Bank said that good quality and reliable statistics and highly skilled statisticians are prerequisites for better and more targeted policymaking in response to the needs of the public, especially the poor and marginalised.

This is particularly true in fragile states like Sudan, the bank said, where meaningful solutions to complex problems are needed.

Closing capacity gaps in data analysis and use for more inclusive social development and economic growth and increasing the quality and accessibility of official statistics will foster the achievement of such solutions.

“This kind of capacity is essential,” said Xavier Furtado, World Bank country representative in Sudan.

“We understand that changes will not happen overnight. But, in addition to better quality data, the World Bank hopes that the programme will contribute to greater transparency and accountability in how public policy is debated and decisions are made.”

As well as data producers, the programme will help data users, including journalists, civil society, and academia, to transform complex public data into knowledge, learn how to analyse data and how to make it relevant for government decision makers and understandable to the public.

The programme is funded by the UK’s overseas aid budget and will cost just under £1.9m.