Proposal Description

African countries face a wide spectrum of interconnected risks, including public health threats, environmental degradation, climate variability, food insecurity, socio-economic inequalities and the consequences of rapid technological and demographic change. These challenges unfold under conditions of uncertainty, incomplete information and heterogeneous vulnerability, requiring statistical approaches capable of supporting evidence-based decision-making. This invited session aims to explore how statistical science can contribute to understanding, quantifying and managing such risks while taking into account the specific realities and constraints of African contexts.
The session will bring together researchers with direct experience in African settings to present methodological developments and applied studies addressing contemporary risk problems. Contributions may include, among other topics, statistical modelling of health and epidemiological risks, environmental and climate-related risk assessment, socio-economic vulnerability analysis, predictive methods for decision support, uncertainty quantification, and the use of official statistics to inform risk governance and resilience strategies. By connecting theoretical advances with practical applications, the session seeks to illustrate how statistical thinking can generate meaningful evidence for policy and societal action.
By fostering dialogue among scholars working across different disciplines and countries, this session aligns with the mission of the ISI Committee on Risk Analysis to promote the use of sound statistical reasoning in addressing complex societal challenges. It is expected to stimulate future collaborations, enhance the visibility of African contributions to risk analysis, and reinforce the role of statistics as an essential tool for building more resilient, equitable and sustainable societies.