JOINT PRESS RELEASE
AU-ECA organise media workshop ahead of 3rd Conference of African Ministers responsible for civil registration and vital statistics

The African Union Commission (AUC) in collaboration with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) on Sunday 8 February 2015 organised a pre-conference media workshop to equipped the national and international journalists covering the ministerial conference on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) with the necessary knowledge to help them do their work efficiently and accurately through their respective media channels

Key speakers at the media workshop which took place in the “Parlementaire” Hotel conference room in Yamoussoukro, Côte-d’Ivoire included the representative of the host country, Mr. Koulibali Inza, sub-director at the territorial Administration department of Côte-d’Ivoire, Mr. Dossina Yeo, senior statistician officer at the African Union Department of Economic Affairs, Mr Chukwudozie Ezigbalike, Ag. Director, African Centre for Statistics, and the representative from South Africa, Mr. Lehohla Pali, Statistician general at Statistics South Africa.

During the workshop, journalists were briefed on how to use and process statistics data so as to ensure a wide understanding and visibility on statistics related issues as well as civil registrations.

The resource persons from the African Union Commission and the ECA highlighted the importance of statistics in the development of the continent as well as the role of the media to guarantee an inclusive data revolution in Africa. In that regards, Mr Yeo addressing the journalists on behalf of Dr. Réné Kouassi, Director for Economic Affairs of the African Union pointed out the importance of civil registration in the achievement the continent’s development agenda. He underscored that civil registration in Africa will resolve “the scandal of invisibility” which prevents many citizens from enjoying their rights to name and nationality.

In the same vein, Mr Chukwudozie stressed on the necessity for the continent to “leave no one behind”. He said the Yamoussoukro Conference on CRVS constitutes a vital instrument to know if Africa will want to remain behind or moving forward.

Journalists were reminded of their important roles as essential instruments to ensure that issues related to statistics are well understood by all by simplifying the way they report on this. “With the emergence of the new paradigm of data revolution in Africa, there is need to improve data journalism so as to ensure that Africa has data from African sources rather than relying on international sources” said Mr. Yeo. He added that Africans should not only be consumer of data but produce their own data.

Interview requests should be addressed to Mrs. Esther Azaa Tankou, Head of Information Division at the Directorate of Information and Communication of the African Union, Tel: +22558117429, E-mail: yamboue@africa-union.org/esthertankou@yahoo.com