Statistics and Statistical Capacity in Africa: Key Issues and Emerging Challenges African Centre for Statistics, ECA Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 29 March – 1 April 2007 Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development Twenty-sixth Meeting of the Committee of Experts

2 Outline  Background  Issues and Challenges in Statistical Development  Regional Initiatives to Overcome the Challenges  Reference Regional Strategic Framework for Statistical Capacity Building in Africa  The Africa Symposia on Statistical Development  The African Programme for the 2010 RPHC  ECA’s Response: The African Centre for Statistics  The Way Forward

3Background Several initiatives aimed at promoting economic and social development in African countries:  NEPAD  The Millennium Declaration: MDGs  The PRSs Unprecedented increase in demand for quality and timely statistics in Africa New culture championing rigorous evidence- based policy decision making Challenges to already weak and vulnerable NSS New opportunities for raising public awareness about statistics

4 Issues and Challenges Stronger political commitment at the national level to statistical production Strengthened coordination, collaboration, and networking at all levels Enhanced capacities for statistical production: human, financial resources, and infrastructure Upgraded statistical tools to meet the increase in the demand for statistics: planning and conducting household surveys and censuses Compliance with current international conceptual frameworks: 1993 SNA, P&R on PHC

5 Regional Initiatives to Overcome the Challenges

6 The Reference Regional Strategic Framework for Statistical Capacity Building in Africa A broad framework rather than a specific set of activities and policy prescriptions Objective: to strengthen NSS Built around three themes:  Meeting users needs  Improving management of NSS  Ensuring the sustainability and irreversibility of statistical development Endorsed by the heads of NSOs and other stakeholders of the FASDEV Many of the recommended actions can be implemented within the existing national budget Incremental cost: $75 million per year in general

7 The Africa Symposia in Statistical Development A country-led initiative that considers:  Developing sustainable statistical systems  Addressing the challenges of capacity building  Platform for a comprehensive exchange of experiences and technical assistance among African countries Organized on a rotational basis in African countries Cape Town 2006, Kigali 2007, Accra 2008…

8 African Programme for the 2010 RPHC Coordination between regional and world programmes:  Recommendations to the revision of the P&R on PHC  Preparation of an African Supplement to the P&R Census advocacy and networks:  Special African Statistics Week in Angola (December 2006)  Part of an advocacy tour to improve the participation of African countries in the 2010 RPHC Forging partnerships: UNFPA, AfDB…

9 ECA’s Response: the ACS Strengthening and repositioning the ECA to better serve Africa:  Statistics and statistical capacity building  Placing statistics at the core of the African development agenda  Creation of the Statistics Division: ACS in August 2006 The ACS has developed a programme aimed at:  Revitalizing and better coordinating statistics at the ECA  Enhancing its statistical coordination function  Strengthening capacities of African NSS  Considers various challenges facing Africa in statistical development  Built on a set of strategies aimed at overcoming them

10 ECA’s Response: the ACS (Cont’d) Six programme components, namely:  African PHC Programme: To prepare countries to fully participate in the 2010 RPHC  Re-engineering Household Surveys in Africa: upgrading countries’ capabilities to meet the increased demand in statistics  Economic Statistics: to support countries in their quest to comply with international standards and norms  Statistical Training: to help countries address the issue of human resources  Coordination of Statistical Development Activities: aimed at addressing uncoordinated statistical development efforts  Statistical Data Management: to provide stakeholders with quality statistics on African countries

11 The Way Forward: RRSF Ministers to support the RRSF:  Heads of NSOs recommended the RRSF during the FASDEV  Need for strong political support by the African Ministers Countries to ensure that all major national development plans and programmes include a statistical component:  Increasing national financial support for the sustainability of statistical production and use  Reducing the dependency on “donated” statistics and donor-driven statistical programmes

12 The Way Forward: ASSD Countries to support the ASSD initiative by requesting host countries to financially contribute to its organization Ministers to support the recommendations of the last ASSD including:  Statistical training especially the Canadian training initiative on leadership of African heads of NSOs  The African Census Analysis Programme (ACAP) on archiving and utilization of censuses of the Pennsylvania University

13 The Way Forward: ECA Ministers to reaffirm the coordination and leadership role of the ECA in the area of statistics and call upon partners to channel statistical development efforts through the ACS Ministers to support the overall programme of work of the ACS:  Programme of work of the ECA tailored to address many of the identified challenges

14 Thank you!