AMJD Volume. 8, Issue 3 (2018)

The paper looked at the importance of statistics in sustaining and maintaining development and it started with the words of Hon. Prof. Peter Anyang’ Nyongo of Kenya. The paper stressed the role, power and importance of statistics in providing scientific information for modern decision making. Different developmental policies ranging from promoting more productive agriculture and industrialization to the well promoted and accepted structural adjustment programme were briefly discussed. Also discussed were sustainable development and its indicators with the establishment of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) to monitor countries’ efforts in developing and using sustainable development indicators so that appropriate data and information would be provided. Of course the challenges were highlighted and it was recommended that national statistical offices should always take the lead in the development and publication of sustainable development indicators and the consideration of social capital, the role of the state, and the importance of local government and non-governmental organizations in sustainable development indicators