Workshop on Continental Strategy for Data Collection and Validation SRO-EA’s activities on Statistics Mr. Mactar Seck Economic Affairs Officer ICT Policies and Programme Development Head of Business Support Cluster UNECA/SRO-EA

Presentation Outline SRO-EA’s Mandate Why ? How ? Challenges Recommendations

SRO’s role: Lead in shaping ECA’s agenda and implementation at sub-regional level. Promote and support specific sub-regional priorities and programmes. Operate as sub-regional nodes for knowledge management and networking. Coordinate UN system activities for sub-regional integration

SRO-EA’s features SRO-EA covers 13 countries: Burundi, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda. SRO-EA works with Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to rationalize membership, strengthen policy and build technical capacity to pursue Regional Integration. RECs in Eastern Africa include: COMESA, EAC, IGAD. SRO-EA also works with IGOs such as ICGLR, IOC, and CEPGL as well as other UN agencies and bilateral/multilateral partners.

Why we need Statistic Strategy ? To get all Member States involved Implement a routine and systematic collection of the basic to gather and analyze all given socio-economic data available Establish a standard, co-ordinated and cost/efficient sub regional collection • Establish rules and procedures to make this data available.

Mirror of politics, economics and social activities in the Region How ? Engage into ICT and information sharing, development of on-line Regional Observatory: obs-ea.uneca.org As a gateway of diffusion at the sub-regional, regional and worldwide level Mirror of politics, economics and social activities in the Region

Objectives to identify fundamental information (official) in collaboration with Governments, RECs, IGOs, private sector, civil society and academia to promote and support political, social and economic integration to provide a coordination framework for the data collection, the analysis and the review of the macro-economic indicators at the local, national, and sub-regional level to set up a gateway which aimed at presenting sectors news, practical information, detailed results and economic analyses

to set up an Executive Information System providing tools to enable the monitoring of sub-regional economy Responding the need of policy makers to measure and benchmark regional economic performance To monitoring effectiveness indicators in formal and informal sector

Benefits of Regional Observatory facilitate collaborative work leverage the expertise of people across the organization and the Region facilitate sharing information provide best practice; lessons learned

Cooperation among Government, RECs, IGOs, etc. SRCM ( Co-Chair by COMESA) MYP ( single entry) ICE ( statutory meeting) Etc.

Implementing of the Regional Observatory : Strategy Identified focal points in Members States, RECs and IGOs Discuss and define concepts and methodology for collecting data, information management and validation, data dissemination Process inputs ( clean field data, identify and treat significant anomalies, etc.) Communities of practice

Methodology Data Collection Missions Government Source Data Base RECs Data Base Surveys (Mail and Internet Surveys) Interviews Observations Artifact Analysis

Achievements To develop comparable indicators based on the Matrix focus Areas 2012-2016 Mechanism for integrating/sharing data collection systems with other countries Create awareness to implement robust statistic strategic framework Institutional mechanism : BP June 2012

Focus Areas Regional Integration, Infrastructure Development, Climate Change and Natural Resources Management, Governance, Gender and Social Development Issues, Agriculture and Food Security, Knowledge Management and Information sharing, Industrial Development , Tourism Development , ICT4D STI

Challenges Harmonized effort by key partners should be put in place to ensure adoption of the indicators Some governments still do not see the benefits of funding data collection and dissemination of statistics While some countries have started collecting data, based on the core list and/or localized core list of indicators, storage, management and sharing of data is still a challenge understand the role and importance of harmonized data collection at national, sub-regional and regional levels.

Summary / recommendations Need harmonization at member state and Regional Economic Communities levels: Develop guideline and Methodology for Data collection (Questionnaires, Sample design, Sampling frames, etc.) ( CAS in collaboration with SROs) Need for sensitizing, training and involving all stakeholders, including parliamentarians, policy makers, legislators to develop statistical capacities (data analysis and interpretation) (CAS AU, AfDB etc.))

Facilitate partnerships between different stakeholders to facilitate the flow of information, expertise and resources Support to establish a comprehensive information network to promote access and harmonization of data in Africa (ECA, AU, AfDB) Support to develop and maintain Corridor Databases/observatories on key Corridor Performance Indicators and their regular dissemination

Thank You! Further enquiries mseck@uneca.org