ADEA WGEMPS participates in AU 7th Meeting of the Committee of Directors General of National Statistics Offices
The 7th Meeting of the Committee of Directors General of National Statistics Offices took place in Johannesburg, South Africa, December 5-7, 2013.
The objectives of the meeting were to consider the status and challenges inherent in the production and use of economic statistics, especially those related to national accounts, as a means to support the transformation of African economies and what is needed to monitor and evaluate the implementation of Africa’s development agenda for the coming half century.
The meeting was held against the backdrop of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU), which met in May 2013 in Addis Ababa. The latter recommended that a development agenda for Africa for the coming 50 years be put in place that would include a Pan African Parliament, a single currency, integrated economies with freedom of circulation for people with minimal physical borders and the promotion of science and technology. It recommended that professional statisticians be consulted to ensure that statistical needs are taken into consideration within this development program. ADEA’s Working Group on Educational Management and Policy Support (WGEMPS) coordinator Angela Arnott represented ADEA at the 7th Meeting of the Committee of Directors General of National Statistics Office.
The meeting discussed the need to develop criteria and measures for development, based on a vision of what constitutes development for Africa. It took stock of the number of countries that have ratified the Charter of Statistics adopted in 2008 and assessed implementation of the Strategy for the Harmonization of Statistics in Africa (SHaSA).
Background papers included a paper on Economic Statistics presented by UNECA, an AfDB survey on the statistical capacity of African countries and a paper entitled Why Africa needs to lead the Beyond GDP Debate presented by the University of Pretoria.
Ms. Arnott presented the position of the African Working Group on Education on behalf of the African Union.
The meeting took two major decisions: to create a Pan-African Statistical Training Centre and an AU Institute of Statistics (STATAFRIC). Both bodies will be based in Tunisia.
The AU Institute for Statistics (STATAFRIC) will produce quality statistics for Africa, coordinate the production of statistics coming from different players (countries and partners), mobilize technical and financial assistance, coordinate the research agenda. and support SHaSA Working Groups.
