Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, 01 December 2016: The African Union Commission (AUC); and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA); in collaboration with the African Development Bank (AfDB) opened the Tenth Session of the Committee of Directors General of National Statistics Offices and Fifth Session of the Statistical Commission for Africa (Stat-Com Africa) yesterday. In line with agenda 2063 Aspiration1, the joint meeting is being held under the theme Strengthening economic statistics to support Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.  

With the objective of supporting the implementation process of Africa’s agenda 2063 and 2030 agenda for sustainable developmet, the joint session is set to brainstorm on the status and challenges in the  collection and production of economic statistics in Africa, so as to take stock of the various efforts made towards the modernization of official statistics. It includes  harmonization, comparability and production processes, new data ecosystems, locational management of information, coordination efforts and new technologies. 

Speaking on behalf of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr. Charles Leyeka Lufumpa, Director, Statistics Department emphasized the practice of the International Comparison Program (ICP) in Africa as part of the ongoing efforts to build statistical capacity in African countries, especially in national accounts and price statistics. “Internationally comparable and harmonized economic statistics are indispensable for informing Africa’s regional integration agenda. Given the slow pace of harmonization in Africa, it becomes important that we intensify our efforts to provide advisory services where necessary to national governments to stimulate the process”, he underscored. 

Addressing participants, Mr. Oliver Chinganya, Director of African Center for Statistics, ECA highlighted that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Agenda 2063 have imposed greater needs and demand for broader and more detailed economic statistics. “This new challenge requires additional efforts, from all of us gathered here, to scale up the collection, compilation, analysis and dissemination of economic statistics”, he reminded. 

“Economic statistics are critical in capturing the production, expenditure, consumption and many other variables among various economic actors. In Africa, quality, timely, and comparable economic statistics are critical for the continents’ agenda on regional integration, structural economic transformation, and sustainable development”, he stressed. 

Dr. Rene Kouassi N’Guettia, Director of Economic Affairs at the AU Commission said that the year 2017 will be a pivotal year in the process of statistical development in Africa. It will be the year where the two institutions, namely the Statistical Training Center of Yamoussoukro and the Pan-African Institute of Statistics will actually take off.

He also ensures that, all measures will be taken and mobilized to enable these two institutions, which are essential pillars in the African statistical system, to reach their cruising speed and contribute significantly to the improvement of human resources capacity and Harmonization of African statistics towards moving agenda 2063 and Agenda 2030 for SDGs forward.  (The full speech of the Director is available on www.au.int).  

Officially opening the three day long meeting, H.E. Niale’ KABA, Minister of Planning and Development, Côte d'Ivoire recalled participants that the achievment of Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals requir timely, reliable, comparable and accurate statistics.

MTs

For additional information please contact:

Mr. M. Jose Awong Alene, Statistics Division, Department of Economic Affairs, (AUC)

Tel: +251-115182674 ; E-mail: Alenej@africa-union.org

Media contact

Molalet Tsedeke / Directorate of Information and Communication/ AU Commission/ Tel: +251-911630631/ E: mail: molalett@africa-union.org 

For further information contact 

Directorate of Information and Communication /African Union Commission/ E- mail: DIC@africa-union.org  /Web site: www.au.int / Addis Ababa / Ethiopia 

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