Saralees Nadarajah (University of Manchester UK) and Samuel Manda (University of Pretoria, South Africa) have suggestions to increase participation of Black African statisticians at conferences:

The itinerary of the African International Conferences on Statistics from 2014 to 2025 reads like a cartography of hope. From the vibrant streets of Dakar to the highlands of Addis Ababa, the savannas of Limpopo, and the medinas of Marrakesh, the intention was clear: to build a pan-African platform for statistical discourse. The themes evolved with the times, mirroring global intellectual shifts from Recent Developments in Applied Statistics to Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, and Sustainable Development. See https://aic2026.strathmore.edu/

Yet beneath this promising journey lies a persistent and uncomfortable silence. It is a gap not in the program, but in the room itself: the conspicuous absence of Black African statisticians.

This is not a critique of the organizers, whose efforts kept the flame alive through a pandemic. It is an observation of a deeper paradox. Conferences held on African soil, ostensibly for African development, are often not populated by the very data scientists and statisticians who are the children of that soil. The word “African” in the title risks becoming a mere geographical descriptor rather than a reflection of the demographic.

The Numbers That Don’t Add Up:

A simple demographic survey of attendees at these gatherings would reveal a stark picture. The room typically includes a significant contingent of international experts from Europe, North America, and Asia, alongside a diaspora of African academics based at Western institutions. The missing variable is the locally-based Black African statistician—the lecturer from the University of Yaoundé I, the government analyst in Addis Ababa, or the PhD student at the University of Botswana.

The locations themselves highlight the barrier. A conference in Jimma or Arsi, Ethiopia, requires a level of financial and logistical commitment that is prohibitive for a Cameroonian or Senegalese academic. The costs—visa fees, flights, accommodation, registration—can easily exceed several months’ salary. While the organizers of the 2025 Nairobi satellite conference are to be commended for focusing on “Development in Africa,” the fundamental economic equation remains unsolved.

Beyond the Cost Barrier:

However, to frame this solely as a financial issue is to miss the deeper structural crisis. The low attendance is a symptom of a weakened academic ecosystem. The statistician who is not in Gaborone or Hammamet is likely at their home institution, overwhelmed by teaching loads, starved of research funding, and without the high-speed internet needed to even learn about opportunities. Their absence is not a choice, but a consequence of systemic underinvestment in higher education across much of the continent.

There is also an unspoken issue of intellectual confidence. When keynote addresses are consistently delivered by non-African experts, and academic currency is defined by journals and indices based elsewhere, a local researcher can feel like a perpetual student rather than a peer. The conference becomes a place to listen, not to challenge or collaborate. This dynamic signals that “advanced statistics” are generated elsewhere and merely “applied” in Africa, rather than being innovated from within.

The Post-COVID Moment:

The pandemic hiatus from 2020 to 2023 offered a moment for reflection. When conferences resumed in Marrakesh and Tunis, the world had adopted virtual and hybrid models that could have been great equalizers. Yet the return to in-person, high-fee events risks re-entrenching old inequalities. Logging onto Zoom does not grant a young Malian data scientist the same networking opportunities as a coffee break in Hammamet.

The Way Forward:

For these conferences to truly live up to their name, a radical shift is needed. They must transition from being events held in Africa to gatherings that are fundamentally of and by Africa. This requires intentional action:

First, conference budgets must prioritize large-scale, accessible travel grants for African-based statisticians as a primary line item, not an afterthought. Second, the Nairobi model of satellite events should be expanded into a network of lower-cost regional hubs feeding into a central gathering. Third, keynotes must be intentionally populated with leading Black African statisticians working within African institutions, showcasing home-grown research. Finally, the conference must be woven into year-round programs of virtual journal clubs, grant writing, and mentorship.

The conferences from 2014 to 2025 provide a record of intent. The 2025 Nairobi gathering stands at a crossroads. It has the opportunity to be the moment when the conversation finally shifted. The alternative is a future where these events continue to mirror the global North’s image of African statistics, while the vibrant community of Black African statisticians remains in the shadows. The empty seat is not just an absence; it is a lost opportunity for the continent to solve its own complex problems.

The organizers of the African International Conference on Statistics are actively working to expand broader African engagement in future conferences. They will respond more fully in the next Bulletin issue: stay tuned.

Saralees Nadarajah and Samuel Manda, with Queensley Chukwudum, write more about ethical and equitable research partnerships in Africa here.