Abstract

For decades, household survey data in West Africa were fragmented, donor-dependent and rarely comparable across countries. Differences in questionnaires, methods and timing meant that policymakers could not tell real differences in living standards from artifacts of survey design. This paper presents the regional initiative that has aligned survey standards and instruments across countries. Countries share methodologies, questionnaires, nomenclatures, sampling plans, collection timelines, quality assurance protocols and survey tooling. This pooling of resources avoids duplicated effort.

The initiative is built on the Harmonized Survey on Household Living Conditions (EHCVM), supported by the World Bank through the HMHS, HISWA and HISWACA projects. Three rounds have been completed in West Africa and in some Central African countries. The 2018/19 round produced the first fully comparable poverty estimates for all eight WAEMU member states. A 2021/22 follow-up round gave a before-and-after picture of the pandemic's effects. The data have supported COVID-19 impact simulations, targeting of social protection programs, and poverty mapping. More than one hundred national statistical staff were trained across the survey chain.

The main result is institutionalization. On 6 October 2025, the WAEMU Council of Ministers adopted Decision No. 005/2025/CM/UEMOA. It makes the EHCVM a permanent regional survey system, with a round every three years and results published within twelve months. This moves the survey from a project activity to a binding regional commitment. In Côte d'Ivoire, a national decree governs the production, dissemination and archiving of survey data. ANSTAT will describe how regional standards translate into national practice. Some countries have created statistics development funds and are modernizing their statistical infrastructure.

Building on this, the initiative is extending in three directions. First, it is collaborating with the CEMAC region on harmonization. Second, it is linking LSMS-type household surveys with Labor Force Surveys. Third, it is pursuing broader coverage across Africa. The paper also addresses the main remaining challenge, which is guaranteed national financing. It concludes with lessons for other regions.