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| African Statistics Day 2006 Addis Ababa, 17 November – The Economic Commission for Africa has called for greater effort to elevate statistics to the top of national development agendas in Africa. The call comes ahead of African Statistics Day to be marked on 18 November and seeks to reinforce a continent-wide campaign aimed at boosting statistics production, spearheaded by National Strategies for the Development of Statistics (NSDS). “Vigorous advocacy is urgent for statistics in Africa, as most countries will not meet their 2006 NSDS deadline,” said Dimitri Sanga of ECA's African Centre for Statistics. “We are making every effort with the collaboration of partners to ensure they will achieve this goal in 2007.” He said some African governments had placed statistics at the heart of development planning “but more needs to be done at all levels”. The national strategies are expected to address Africa's statistical needs in relation to the broader development agenda, such as the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), the Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRSs), and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Held annually, African Statistics Day was established as an advocacy tool aimed at raising awareness of the importance of statistics for Africa's economic and social development. This year, it is devoted to emphasizing the importance of the national strategies as new benchmarks for statistical planning and development. “For the first time in history, a diverse range of players across the globe agree on a common platform of priorities for addressing the many faces of extreme poverty, from hunger, unemployment, disease and lack of housing, to gender inequality and environmental decline,” said Sanga. Despite the enormous challenges, he added, African countries and development partners recognized the need for better statistics to improve evidence-based policy design and planning, and to support implementation, monitor progress, and evaluate outcomes and impacts of development initiatives. A crucial component of any national strategy will be the formation of partnerships between governments and people, so that all stakeholders are aware of the implications of statistics for the nation and can cooperate with the appropriate mechanisms. More importantly, perhaps, there is a movement within the continent to have legislative frameworks that provide for statistical independence. Governments would then demonstrate their commitment to making informed choices aimed at improving the welfare of their citizens. Through its African Centre for Statistics, UNECA is dedicated to the promotion of statistics compilation, analysis, and dissemination on the African continent, enabling policymakers to make informed policy choices. For further information, please contact: Dimitri Sanga, Ph.D.
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