UNITED NATIONS
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL
Distr.: LIMITED
ECA/ESPD/ABSA/2006/3
31 May 2006
Original: ENGLISH
ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR AFRICA
Annual Meeting of Advisory Board on Statistics in Africa
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
13-14 June 2006
Report on
ECA Statistical Activities in 2005-2006
Table of Content
(1) The objective of this document is to provide an overview of the implementation of the statistical activities at ECA since the second meeting of ABSA (April 2005 to June 2006). The presentation of this report is as follow. After the introduction, the second section presents the implementation of the 2004-2005 work programme. The third section presents the implementation of statistical activities since ABSA 2. The fourth section reviews the resources used to implement statistical activities at ECA while the fifth section deals with the proposed work programme for the biennium 2006-2007. The sixth section presents the issue of ECA repositioning with a focus on the ECA’s statistics function and finally, the last section draws attention to issues for consideration by the Board.
2 The Implementation of the Work Programme 2004-2005
(2) The ECA functions on a biannual work programme basis. The last meeting of ABSA occurred during the implementation of the 2004-2005 work programme. At that meeting the implementation of the 2004-2005 work programme (January 2004 to April 2005) of the statistics Unit was presented to the Board. For the entire biennium, the Commission has carried out several activities in the area of statistical development. These include 28 activities subdivided as follows:
- 13 activities in the approved work programme; and
- 15 Additional activities
(3) The activities are classified into the following outputs categories:
|
Activities |
Approved activities |
Additional Activities |
|
Ad-hoc expert group meetings |
0 |
12 |
|
Recurrent publications |
4 |
0 |
|
Non-recurrent publications |
2 |
0 |
|
Booklet, information kits |
1 |
0 |
|
Special events |
1 |
0 |
|
Technical materials |
2 |
1 |
|
Workshops |
3 |
2 |
|
13 |
15 |
The approved activities include those in the authorised work programme and whose funds have been secured by the UN. The implementation of all additional activities required extra budgetary resources.
3 The Activities Implemented Since ABSA II:
(4) At the last meeting of ABSA the implementation rate of the statistics work programme (not including the additional activities) was around 38 percent. The last three quarters of the year 2005 have seen a significantly increase in the implementation rate resulting in an 84.5 percent at the end of the biennium. The activities implemented since the last meeting of ABSA are as follow:
3.1 Activities in the Work Programme
3.1.1 Servicing of Intergovernmental and Expert Bodies
(5) No activity was programmed under this item in the regular 2004-2005 work programme. The CODI-4 and FASDEV-2 undertaken by the Statistics Team were classified as additional activities to the work programme (cf. 3.2).
(6) From April 2005 to June 2006, the Commission organized three workshops on statistical development and provided substantial contributions to several activities organized by partners, including the following:
Workshop on the organization of National Statistical Offices, 7 to 11 November, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
(7) The Commission held a workshop on the Organization and Management of National Statistical Offices (NSOs) for selected French speaking countries from 7 to 11 November 2005. The meeting undertook an in-depth review of statistical organization and management issues in Africa.
Workshop on National Accounts, 14 to 18 November 2005, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
(8) The ECA, with the collaboration of the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), organized a regional Workshop on National Accounts from 14 to 18 November 2005, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The workshop discussed current issues in national accounts pertaining to the update of the 1993 SNA and relevant compilation practices in African countries. This initiative was in line with the recommendations of the Committee on Development Information (CODI) IV (April 2005) to promote and encourage countries to make the transition from the 1968 SNA to the 1993 SNA.
Workshop on Data Management, 12 to 14 December 2005, Lusaka, Zambia :
(9) The Commission organized a workshop on Statistical Database Management for selected English speaking countries, in Lusaka, Zambia from 12 to 14 December 2005. The workshop provided a forum for exchange of information on the development of statistical databases, promoted the use of statistical databases and dissemination of data on the web and shared experiences and best practices in the use of statistical databases in countries and sub-regional organizations.
The African Statistics Day, 18 November
(10) The celebration of the African Statistics Day (ASD) contributes to promote awareness of the importance of statistics to member states and partners. The 2005 celebration offered the opportunity to increase public awareness on the important role of censuses in tracking the progress towards the African development agenda. The 2005 edition focused on the opportunity offered by the 2010 Round of Censuses to Improve Statistical Information for Monitoring Africa’s Development Agenda.
(11) The Commission took an active role in the celebration of the ASD by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), which coincided with the inauguration of UBOS’s new building.
3.1.4 Booklet, Information Kits
(12) The commission proposed the theme of the ASD for adoption by member States, and prepared various promotional materiel including posters, press communiqué, and radio message. These materials were disseminated to member States as inputs in their respective celebration initiatives.
Compendium of Intra-African and related Foreign Trade Statistics:
(13) The Commission produced the fifth edition of the Compendium of Intra-African and related foreign trade statistics. The objective of the publication is to provide data on African external and intra trade on regional and sub-regional basis to feed the need of the growing demand for complete analysis of African trade. This fifth edition of the Compendium of Intra-African and related foreign trade statistics, presents data for the years 1994 to 2003 and comprises a set of analytical tables covering values of exports and imports by section of the United Nations Standard International Trade Classification (SITC), direction of trade, matrices of intra-African trade, trade by economic groupings in Africa and exchange rates of the US dollar per unit of national currencies.
3.1.6 Non-recurrent Publication:
Use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in NSOs
(14) The Statistics Team undertook a study on the Use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in National Statistical Offices for Data Collection and Poverty Mapping. The study gave a picture of the use of Geographic Information Systems in National Statistical Offices for data collection and poverty mapping. The objective of this study is to promote the development, standardization, dissemination and sharing of GIS data at national, sub regional, and regional levels through appropriate information networks and infrastructures and to contribute to the improvement of cartographic information management capabilities and accessibility in statistical offices.
The African Socio-Economic Indicators
(15) The publication “African Socio-Economic Indicators 2005” summarizes social and economic trends in the region. The objective of the publication is to serve users who need a summary picture and information on recent trends for countries, sub-regions and on the continent as a whole. Many indicators have therefore been presented in graphical form. The publication aims at completing the pure tabular format of country specific data in the African Statistical Yearbook.
ECA Statistical Database (StatBase)
(16) The Commission has moved forward the development of a prototype model for the ECA regional statistical database (StatBase) following a comprehensive data needs assessment conducted during the third quarter of 2004. Under the guidance of the statistics team, a consultant has developed a prototype statistical database. It is expected that the new regional information system being initiated at ECA would provide a prime source of statistical data directly accessible to potential users within and outside the Commission.
3.2 Additional Activities to the Work Programme
(17) In addition to the activities in its work programme, the Statistics Team undertook the bellow activities. This is in line with a call from ABSA-II for ECA to be more proactive and strategic in the programming orientation aiming for impact and visibility rather than keeping to the old programme.
3.2.1 Servicing of Intergovernmental and Expert Bodies
Fourth meeting of the Committee on Development Information, 25 to 28 April 2005, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
(18) The Fourth Meeting of the Committee on Development Information (CODI), entitled "Information as an Economic Resource", was held from 25 to 28 April, 2005, back to back with the second meeting of ABSA. The subcommittee on statistics reviewed the role of statistics in the tracking of progress towards the implementation of the new African development agenda, in measuring the change in world poverty, and as an essential tool for development planning, monitoring and evaluation.
Second Forum on African Statistical Development (FASDEV II), 9 to 10 February 2006 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
(19) The organization of FASDEV-II was a collaborative effort of the ECA, the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Partnership In Statistics for Development in the 21st Century (PARIS21) and the World Bank. More than hundred participants including representatives from National Statistical Offices, line Ministries, PRSP, Universities and Statistical Training Centres, sub-regional, regional and international organizations, attended the meeting.
(20) The main theme of this second Forum was the review and endorsement of the Reference Regional Strategic Framework for Statistical Capacity Building in Africa (RRSF), as a guide for African statistical development for the next ten years. The forum endorsed the RRSF and discussed current and planned statistical programmes to support and boost the RRSF, and Partners’ support to statistical capacity building in Africa.
3.2.2 Elaboration of the Reference Regional Strategic Framework (RRSF)
(21) In order to boost statistical development in Africa, the ECA, the African Development Bank, the World Bank and the Partnership in Statistics in the 21th Century (PARIS21) collaborated to produce a Reference Regional Strategic Framework for Statistical Capacity Building in Africa (RRSF). It is expected that the RRSF engage partners in a coordinated statistical development process that would ensure that African countries are equipped with statistical systems capable of supporting their economic, political and social development efforts in a sustainable manner. The ECA coordinated the production of the RRSF and participated in the elaboration of the term of reference of the consultation, and hosted briefing and debriefing sessions for the consultants in Addis-Ababa. The ECA’s regional advisor in Statistical Organization also visited countries as part of the consultation process. The report was presented to the second meeting of FASDEV hosted by the ECA, where stakeholders and representatives from African National Statistical Offices endorsed the RRSF.
3.2.3 Supporting the Implementation of the National Strategy for the Development of Statistics (NSDS)
(22) The Statistics Team was also involved in the production of the National Strategy for the Development of Statistics (NSDS) by ECA’s member states. African countries agreed to produce by the year 2006 a NSDS that will provide them with a strategy for strengthening statistical capacity across the entire national statistical system. It is designed to address statistical needs of African countries in relation to the broader development agenda as expressed in the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD), the Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRSs), the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and other development and policy initiatives. The ECA co-organized with PARIS21 two experts group meetings (one for the head of NSOs and another one for National Experts) on the NSDS at its headquarters. The ECA organized an advisory mission in DR Congo where was discussed the NSDS methodology with a special focus on users-producers relationships.
3.2.4 The Regional Statistical Database
(23) The Statistics Team extended the installation of its regional statistical database to sub-regional organizations. In addition to the workshop organized in Lusaka, the team trained staff from the ECA’s Subregional Office of Eastern Africa, the ECOWAS, and database experts from DR Congo. It is expected that the new regional information system being established at ECA would provide, in the long run, a prime source of harmonized statistical data directly accessible to potential users within and outside the Commission.
3.2.5 The 2010 World Programme of Population and Housing Censuses
(24) The Statistics Team is contributing in the involvement of ECA’s members States in the United Nations’ 2010 World Programme of Population and Housing Censuses. This programme has the following goals: conducting at least one population and housing census in every country in the period 2005-2014; producing an updated version of the United Nations Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses (P&R); and providing a platform for comprehensive exchange of experiences, countries’ participation, technical assistance, information and data dissemination.
(25) The team participated in an expert group meeting in New York on the update of the UN handbook on population and housing census. It undertook a survey on African countries programmes of Population and housing censuses and co-organized with Statistics South-Africa, a symposium on statistics with focus on the 2010 round on population and housing censuses. These actions helped in the articulation of an African position in the revision of the P&R.
3.2.6 Contributions to Ad-hoc Experts Group Meetings
Expert Group Meeting on the 2010 World Programme on Population and Housing Censuses, 22 to 26 August 2005, New York, USA
(26) The Expert Group Meeting (EGM) critically reviewed the United Nations Principles and Recommendations on Population and Housing Censuses, Revision 1 and made proposals for updating both its structure and content taking into consideration regional proposals and initiatives in order to advise countries on the organization and implementation of the programme of the 2010 round of censuses. The UNECA presented the challenges and issues facing African countries in census undertaking and participated in the discussions and work of the drafting group and the working group on standards, frameworks and core set of outputs.
(27) While recognizing the efforts made by the Commission in participating in the 2010 RPHC by its involvement in on-line discussions prior to the EGM and the presentation of the results of the survey on issues/challenges related to the 2010 RPHC, the EGM expressed his concerns with respect to the absence of regional initiatives or task force on Censuses and urged the ECA to put censuses on its agenda.
Africa Symposium on Statistical Development, 31 Jan. 2005 to 2 Feb. 2006, Cape Town, South Africa
(28) In close consultation with the UNECA, the UNSD and Statistics South Africa, a meeting was organized in Cape Town, South Africa, from 31 January to 2 February 2006, under the theme: 2006 Africa Symposium on Statistical Development: The 2010 Round of Population & Housing Censuses.” The Symposium was a significant step for the continent towards preparing successfully for the forthcoming censuses. The Symposium witnessed the participation of the Minister of Finance of South Africa, the Honourable Trevor Manuel and the Executive Secretary of the ECA, Mr. Abdoulie Janneh. Mr Janneh reiterated the commitment of the ECA to be actively involved in regional and global process of strengthening capacity building in population statistics and to lead member states to build consensus on critical issues related to the 2010 round of population and housing censuses.
(29) To ensure that the leadership of the ECA is actively promoted, the meeting nominated nine countries to be Friends of the ECA, namely, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia and Uganda.
Meeting of Head of National Statistical Offices in preparation of 37 th Statistical Commission meeting, 6 to 8 February 2006, Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia
(30) The ECA organized a meeting of the heads of National Statistical Office, back to back with the second meeting of FASDEV, to prepare the African position to the major issues of discussion at the 37th UN Statistical Commission.
Training workshop for African implementers of the United Nations Handbook on Nonprofit Institutions in the System of National Accounts, 21 to 22 March 2006, Maputo, Mozambique
(31) The ECA Statistics Team was also represented at the training workshop for African implementers of the United Nations Handbook on Nonprofit Institutions in the System of National Accounts in Maputo, Mozambique on March 21-22, 2006, co-organized by the Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies (JHU/CCSS) and the United Nations Volunteers (UNV), Mozambique. Six African countries (Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Uganda, Zimbabwe) were represented.
The Meeting of the Committee for the Coordination of Statistical Activities, 6 March, New York,
(32) The seventh meeting of the Committee for the Coordination of Statistical Activities (CCSA) was held in New York at the United Nations, on 6 March 2006. The meeting noted with satisfaction the presence of the Economic Commission for Africa and expected to see this regional commission attending subsequent meetings.
(33) The Committee took note of the report prepared by OECD on “The Statistical Data and Metadata Exchange” (SDMX) Initiative. The Committee took note of the discussion on how to address the issue of coordination of capacity building activities among CCSA members. In this regard, following the presentation of the light report on coordination of capacity building in Africa by PARIS21, the Committee requested that an in depth analysis be prepared by the primary sponsor of the Forum on African Statistical Development (FASDEV) and be presented and discussed to the forthcoming meeting of the CCSA in September 2006 in Montreal.
The meeting on the Statistical Programmes of the regional Commissions and the United Nations Statistics Division, 6 March, New York,
(34) The meeting on Statistical Programmes of the regional commissions and the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) took place on Monday 6 March 2006. The meeting took note of major progress made by the ECA in terms of the contribution to the work of the 2010 RPHC and particularly the substantive contribution to the update of the principles and recommendations of the 2010 RPHC as well as the commitment made by ECA in helping countries to participate in this round of censuses.
(35) The meeting also discussed the implementation of two main development account projects: “Interregional Cooperation on the Measurement of the Informal Sector and Informal Employment” and “Strengthening Statistical Capacity-building in Support of the Millennium Development Goals in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Region.”
United Nations Statistical Commission, 7 to 10 March 2006, New York, USA
(36) The Secretariat attended the 37 th UN Statistical Commission annual meeting where it presented the African position on emerging issues in statistical development. The key item on the agenda was the programme review on industrial statistics. The Commission also review the reports on distributive trade statistics, integrated economic statistics, national accounts, classifications, the international comparison programme, environmental accounting, energy statistics and social statistics.
(37) The ECA presented a statement on the progress made and future plans on the 2010 World Programme of Population and Housing Censuses and the outcomes of the Forum on African Statistical Development (FASDEV). The ECA gave a summary of the Reference Regional Strategic Framework for Statistical Capacity Building in Africa that was endorsed during the last FASDEV meeting. It also made available a series of substantive documents on Censuses in Africa and the communiqué of the second meeting of FASDEV.
The meeting of the friends of ECA in statistical development, 1 to 3 April 2006, Pretoria, South Africa
(38) The Friends of ECA convened their first meeting in Pretoria, South Africa, from 1 to 3 April 2006. The main purpose of the meeting was to come up with a proposal of a programme of work for the Africa Symposia in Statistical Development and the ECA in order to fulfill the commitments made by the Executive Secretary of the latter, and to ensure its leadership and coordination role in line with the resolutions of the Cape Town Symposium. Moreover, the meeting considered an advocacy strategy towards the African Conference of Ministers of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development that took place in Ouagadougou from 10 to 15 May 2006.
Continental seminar on the harmonization of concepts, methodologies and statistical frameworks, 3 to 6 April 2006, Nairobi, Kenya
(39) The Statistics Team provided substantive contributions to the continental seminar on the harmonization of concepts, methodologies and statistical frameworks co-hosted by the Association of African Central Bank (AACB) and the Central Bank of Kenya at the Kenya School of Monetary Studies (KSMS) on April 3-6, 2006. The meeting discussed issues for harmonization of macroeconomic and statistical concepts and observance of the agreed convergence criteria which will lead to the establishment of a single currency in Africa. At its 26th ordinary session held in Algiers in September 2002, the Assembly of Governors of the Association of African Central Banks (AACB) adopted the African Monetary Co-operation Programme (AMCP). The implementation of this Programme is expected to lead to the establishment of a single monetary zone with a common currency and a common Central Bank at the continental level, by the year 2021.
4 Resources Used to Achieve the Statistical Activities at ECA
(40) The biennium 2004-2005 constituted a turning point for the statistical function at ECA. It witnessed the recruitment of 3 professional statisticians and two statistical assistants. This revamping of the statistical function and the need for more visibility was translated into an increase by 15 of the number of activities of the statistics Units (additional activities).
(41) The statistics team has delivered the outputs described above with the following staffing situation:
4.1 List of ESPD Statistician Posts
|
Title |
Name |
|
Regular Budget Staff (April 2005) |
|
|
Statistician |
Andry Andriantseheno |
|
Statistician |
Bakary Dosso |
|
Senior Statistician |
Dimitri Sanga |
|
Statistician |
Oumar Malick Sy |
|
Statistician |
Recruitment ongoing |
|
Total 2006 |
4 |
|
Total 2003 |
6 |
|
Regular Programme for Technical Cooperation |
|
|
Regional Adviser |
Awa Thiongane |
|
Total 2003 |
1 |
|
Total 2006 |
1 |
|
Statistical Assistant Posts |
|
|
Number of Posts |
6 |
|
Total 2006 |
6 |
|
Total 2003 |
6 |
|
Consultant Posts |
|
|
Statistical database Specialist |
1 |
5 Proposed Work Programme 2006-2007
(42) In addition to regular outputs appearing in previous work programmes, the work programme 2006-2007 is tailored to strengthen African countries capacity to produce socio-economic data. In this regard and provisional to obtaining suitable funds, it is proposed to initiate a field project aimed at strengthening national capacities in the implementation of the 1993 System of National Accounts in collaboration with regional and sub regional organizations. It will consist in the provision of advisory services, group training, development and/or dissemination of methodological guidelines, manual and software, and research activities. This field project is subject to extra budgetary fund availability. The statistics team will also be involved in three Development accounts projects, namely:
· Strengthening statistical capacity-building in support of the Millennium Development Goals in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region
(43) The overall goal of the project is to strengthen national statistical systems in the SADC region to enable them to meet their statistical needs and to improve the availability and quality of data required to develop and compile the indicator list for the MDGs. Advisory services, fellowship programmes and a series of sub-regional events (expert groups and training workshops) will constitute the core activities under this project framework.
(44) The project will be executed by the Statistics Division of the UN’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs, in collaboration with the Statistics Division of the SADC secretariat and in association with DESA’s Sustainable Development Division and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA).
· Interregional Cooperation on the measurement of the informal sector and informal employment
(45) This project addresses all the aspects of these issues surrounding measurement of the informal sector and informal employment and attempts to place these new data within the framework covering the economy as a whole. It has several components including: advocacy for data collection, dissemination and integration in national accounts. The main beneficiaries of the project will be the economic and social policy makers and statistical officials in developing countries and countries in transition.
(46) The project will be executed by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), jointly with the Economic Commission for Latin America and Caribbean (ECLAC), the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) the Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), and the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, as well as in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO), the United Nations Development Fund for Women, Women in informal Economy Globalizing and Organizing, the Delhi Group, and the Self Employed Women’s Association. The project will contribute to improve knowledge management through the production of training materials and collection of best practices that can be utilized by broader group of developing countries and countries in transition that are not directly involved in the project activities.
· Strengthening the Capacity of African Statistical Systems to generate gender disaggregated Data to support policies to promote gender equality and empowerment of women
(47) The project aims at strengthening African national and regional statistical systems in designing systems and operations to generate gender- desegregated data that are needed to support the advances that have been made in raising awareness of the social and economic implications of gender imbalances. Gender differentiated data would also be important in sharpening the ongoing work of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) to develop instruments for monitoring gender equality and women’s progress through the African Gender and Development Index (AGDI).
(48) The project will be implemented by ECA in collaboration with the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) and the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). The beneficiaries are primarily African Member States through the capacity building of national officials tasked with implementing strategies for the development/collection of gender disaggregated data.
6 Repositioning of the Statistics Team at ECA
(49) The recommendations of ABSA, FASDEV and CODI meetings to revamp the Statistical Function at ECA have been heard. The new management of the commission has decided to make statistics information a key component of ECA’s programme.
(50) At the last African Conference of Ministers of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development, held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, the ECA Executive Secretary proposed a new strategic orientation for the Commission to better serve the continent and the Ministerial Statement supported the view of the ES to reorient ECA’s activities, including strengthening the Statistics Function of the Commission.
7 Issues for Consideration by the Board
(51) The Board may wish to provide its view, and recommendations on the following issues:
Appendix I: List of Activities Implemented from April 2005 to June 2006
Servicing of Intergovernmental and Expert Bodies
Ad hoc Expert Group Meetings, Conferences and Seminars
Publications
African socio-economic indicators (2005)
Compendium of Intra-African and Related Foreign Trade Statistics (2005)
Use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in National Statistical Offices
ECA statistical Database – a Short Review
Booklets, Pamphlets, …
Promotional materials for the African Statistics Day (2005)
Special Events
Celebration of the African Statistics Day (2005)
Technical Materials
Regional Statistical Database (ongoing)
Statistics Team Website
Workshops, Seminars, Training, …
Internship
Two interns from the ENSEA Statistics Training Center (Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Statistique et d’Economie Appliquée), prepared their thesis under the Statistics Team’ staff supervision on Household Surveys, poverty indicators and analysis.
Appendix II: Work Programme 2006-2007
1. Servicing of Intergovernmental and Expert Bodies:
2. Other Substantive Servicing
3. Technical Cooperation