The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)
Improving data collection in The Gambia
New vehicles procured by UNOPS with funding from the World Bank will improve the mobility of data collectors in the country.
Latest updates
8 January 2026
UNOPS has officially handed over 85 motorcycles, with accompanying safety equipment, to The Gambia Bureau of Statistics (GBOS), significantly enhancing the institution’s capacity to collect timely and high-quality data.
This handover marks a key milestone under the initiative, supporting the GBOS’s preparations for the upcoming Agricultural Census and enabling field teams to reach communities across the country more efficiently to collect essential data.
Good data is essential for addressing socio-economic development challenges, informing decision-making processes, efficiently allocating resources, and assessing the effectiveness of policies and initiatives.
UNOPS procured 24 vehicles for The Gambia Bureau of Statistics as part of the World Bank-funded 'Harmonizing and Improving Statistics in West and Central Africa' project. The project aims to strengthen the statistical systems of participating countries and regional bodies by harmonizing, producing, disseminating and enhancing the use of core economic and social statistics.
The availability of quality data is crucial for any effective development planning, and we are pleased to be part of this all-important national exercise.
The procured vehicles will expand the fleet capacity of and improve the mobility of The Gambia Bureau of Statistics as it collects high-quality and harmonized data that will support the government in shaping economic and social policies for future growth and development.
The vehicles will be particularly crucial as The Gambia Bureau of Statistics prepares for the upcoming national population and housing census.
"In the history of the Gambia Bureau of Statistics, we have never had such solid and quality vehicles in our operations," said Alieu Saho, Deputy Statistician General of The Gambia Bureau of Statistics. "We hope to take good care of the vehicles to ease mobility for the upcoming census and other statistics activities in the next five years.''
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