United Nations Economic Commission for Africa

Report on The Inauguration Meeting of the Continental Steering Committee for the African Project on the Implementation of the 2008 System of National Accounts

17 – 18 September 2013 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Organization of the Inaugural Meeting

The Inauguration Meeting of the Continental Steering Committee for the African Project on the Implementation of the 2008 System of National Accounts (2008 SNA) was held at the United Nations Conference Centre in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 17 to 18 September 2013. The Meeting was jointly organized by the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Union Commission (AUC), and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).

The meeting was attended by representatives from AfDB, AUC, ECA, Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco, South Africa, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Southern African Development Community (SADC), Economic and Statistical Observatory for Sub-Saharan Africa (AFRISTAT), National School for Statistics and Applied Economics (ENSEA-Abidjan), Makerere University School of Statistics and Planning, International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank (WB), Australia Aid, Department for International Development (DfID) of the United Kingdom, National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE-France), European Union Delegation, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The list of participants is attached as Annex II.

Session I: Opening of the Meeting, Objectives, Organization and Administrative Matters

Opening Session of the Inaugural Meeting

Mr. Islam Swaleh made the welcoming remarks on behalf of the Director of Economic Affairs of AUC. He indicated the importance of national accounts statistics for the programs of AUC such as the Minimum Integration Programme (MIP), the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA), and Africa in 2063, among others. He pointed out that the Heads of State and Government of African countries approved the Strategy for the Harmonization of Statistics in Africa (SHaSA) which has the 2008 SNA as one of its pillars. Furthermore, he said the Heads of State and Government approved the creation of the Institute of Statistics in Tunis where discussions are ongoing with the Tunisian Government to make it operational by 2014. He reiterated the commitment of AUC to work towards the implementation of the 2008 SNA in African countries and informed the participants that the statistics function at the AUC has been upgraded to a division level. Finally, he wished the participants successful deliberations.

In his welcoming remarks Mr. Lamine Barrow, the Resident Representative of AfDB in Ethiopia, said that his organization will work to implement the 2008 SNA project document. He indicated that AfDB is fully committed to support African countries through its statistical capacity building program and has been doing this for the last ten years. The Bank mobilizes resources and provides both financial and technical support to play its role in strengthening national accounts in member countries. AfDB also plays an important role in advocacy and in the coordination of national strategies for the development of statistics (NSDS). He further indicated that the launching of the project document is timely for economic statistics and national accounts data production, compilation, analysis and dissemination. Finally, he informed the participants about the firm commitment of the Bank to work towards the implementation of the project and wished them successful deliberations.

The opening statement of the meeting was made by Ms. Fatima Denton, Officer-in Charge of the Special Initiatives Division of ECA. She made the opening statement on behalf of Mr. Abdellah Hamdok, Deputy Executive Secretary of ECA. After welcoming the participants, Ms. Denton pointed out the objectives of the inaugural meeting. She said that Africa is rising and out of the ten countries with high GDP growth rates at the global level, six are in Africa. She indicated that economic statistics is essential to strengthen governance and regional integration. She further elaborated on the importance of GDP, and the global initiative on strengthening 2008 SNA which was adopted by the United Nations Statistical Commission. She also mentioned the role played by the African Group on National Accounts (AGNA) on the formulation of the African Strategy for the implementation of the 2008 SNA which is adapted from the global implementation strategy by taking into account African specificities. She also informed the participants about the currently undertaken restructuring exercise at ECA which is designed to help African countries address their development vision. She pointed out that as a result of the restructuring the African Centre for Statistics has been provided with two additional sections in order to play a major role in building statistical infrastructure in Africa. She further indicated that the five sub-Regional Offices (SROs) of ECA will act as data centres.

Objectives of the Inaugural Meeting

The purpose of the meeting was to inaugurate the Continental Steering Committee (CSC) and for the CSC to assume its functions as the governing body of the Project. The meeting reviewed, discussed, and finalized the organization and arrangements of the CSC, the Executive Board, and the Secretariat as well as provided advice and guidance on the work plan and resource requirements of the African Project.

Adoption of the Provisional Agenda

The Agenda of the meeting was adopted as presented. It is attached as Annex I.

Session II: Progresses, Opportunities and Challenges for the Development of Economic Statistics and National Accounts in Africa

A presentation on SHaSA was made by Mr. Bel-Aube Samson of AUC. He indicated that SHaSA was adopted by the Heads of State and Government of African countries in Kampala, Uganda in July 2009. The Strategy was jointly prepared by AUC, AfDB, and ECA under the umbrella of the African Statistical Coordination Committee (ASCC). He indicated that SHaSA is a continent-wide effort prepared to directly address the challenges faced by the African Statistical System (ASS) and supports the African integration agenda, particularly the MIP. He indicated that the vision of SHaSA is to shed light on the path to an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa led by its citizens and constitutes a dynamic force on the global stage. The objective of the Strategy is to make readily available harmonized quality data, which are produced regularly and on time and which cover all aspects of political, economic, social and cultural integration.

He said that SHaSA is anchored on four strategic pillars and will be achieved through the establishment of a strong and operational ASS and through the realization of the African statistical renaissance. The four pillars are to produce quality statistics, to coordinate the statistical data production process, to build sustainable institutional capacity in the ASS, and to promote a culture of quality decision-making. He indicated that 14 Specialized Technical Groups (STGs) will be established for each identified statistical area, under the coordination and responsibility of a lead organization. These groups will be made up of statistics specialists and practitioners from member States, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), and representatives of specialized regional and international agencies where membership will be on voluntary basis, and where the STGs will report to the meeting of Directors-General of NSOs. He mentioned that one of the STGs is AGNA and the other the African Group on Statistical Harmonization (AGSHa). He also indicated that the groups have a leading institution as well as a leading country. As an example, he pointed out that the lead institution of AGNA is ECA while South Africa is the lead country.

In concluding his presentation Mr. Samson pointed out that the implementation of SHaSA will better inform decision making, improve the comparability of statistics across countries, improve coordination of efforts on the African continent, and helps in the adoption of international standards and common methods adjusted to African realities.

Mr. Luc Mbong Mbong of AfDB indicated that the African Strategy for the Implementation of the 2008 SNA is adapted from the global strategy by taking African realities into account. He also mentioned that the African strategy has 7 strategic areas.

Discussion on SHaSA

During the discussions following the presentation of SHaSA, it was indicated that there are relationships in the working groups such as AGNA and that of classifications as the 2008 SNA uses international standard classification. It was pointed out that the main objectives of AGSHa are to assess statistical capacity, provide leadership training, organize peer review and self assessment mechanisms by countries, coordinate activities, and to provide guidelines. It was also indicated that the activities undertaken by AUC to improve statistics in Africa are commendable.

Panel Discussion on Progresses, Opportunities and Challenges for the Development of Economic Statistics and National Accounts in Africa

There were seven panelists on the topic, namely Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco, South Africa, COMESA, ECOWAS and Makerere University. Cameroon

The representative of Cameroon indicated that some progress has been achieved in the development of economic statistics with the collaboration of the national institute of statistics and AFRISTAT. He said that population census results helped in the preparation of national accounts and to evaluate integration; international methodologies have been adopted; classifications have been updated; and quality data have been produced. However, he indicated the need to address the delay in data dissemination. He identified the opportunities to be the increase in demand for data that leads to an increase in funding, the continuous support by AFRISTAT, and the quality of data being improved. With regards to challenges he pointed out the need for staff training, the need to improve data dissemination methods, improve staff retention and their working conditions, as well as the need to cover new areas such as environment statistics.

The representative of Ghana elaborated the development of economic statistics starting from data collection through dissemination as well as indicator selection. She indicated that the progress made in economic statistics have been due to the use of international standards and methodologies, improvement in data processing using software packages, improvement in data analysis, preparation of press releases, data dissemination by using websites and printouts, and the preparation of a publication on economic indicators and update it regularly. She mentioned the opportunities to be the technical assistance received from partners on ICP-Africa and price statistics, regular training programs that assisted in reviewing questionnaires, regular meetings held, and the peer review mechanism introduced by AfDB. Concerning the challenges faced she indicated inadequate resources, delay in the release of funds, and lack of trained staff as the main ones. She stressed the need to improve work on the informal sector and to further improve the production of economic statistics.

Morocco

The representative from Morocco indicated the challenges to be the request for new data, lack of infrastructure, lack of human resources, lack of cooperation among offices, SNA implementation being at an early stage, not inclusion of the informal sector, data source problems, surveys undertaken that do not meet international standards, the difficulty of processing data obtained from other sources, and the unavailability of statistical production and release plans.

South Africa

The representative of South Africa indicated the need to be innovative in securing funding. He mentioned the need to collect new data, devise new survey, use handheld devices for data collection, and to use administrative records such as tax data to compile national accounts. He also said that during dissemination, it is important to interact with relevant data user ministries departments and agencies; to use websites and smart phones; and to produce timely data and interpret them. COMESA

The representative of COMESA said that he does not have any comments as the previous speakers have covered the relevant points.

ECOWAS

The representative of ECOWAS pointed out that some progress has been made, yet there is more work to be done in the sub-region. He indicated the lack of coordination between AGSHa, AGNA, and other technical groups resulted in the quality of technical training to be limited; countries are not at the same level of development, therefore, there is a need to have country specific and targeted approach in training; blanket assistance does not work, it has to be country specific; and data collection must be a country driven approach through the creation of data demand and synergy.

Makerere University

The representative of Makerere University indicated the main challenges to be lack of space, lack of fellowship, lack of resources, inadequacy of equipment, and lack of professional teaching personnel.

Discussion on Progresses, Opportunities and Challenges for the Development of Economic Statistics and National Accounts in Africa

During the discussions the following points were raised:  The importance of training program development;  The initial trainings should be followed by continuous retraining;  The need to work in human resources development;  The need for concerted efforts to establish new statistical training institutions;  Agriculture contributes a significant part in the national accounts of many African countries, thus there is a need for additional resources for the development of agricultural programs;  The need for the establishment of scholarship programs;  To develop modern methods to record and disseminate economic statistics and national accounts; and  The need to strengthen human and technical capacities through the establishment of training centres for national accountants.

Session III: How to Strengthen and Synchronize Technical Cooperation and Support for Economic Statistics and National Accounts in Africa

A presentation was made by Mr. Johannes Hendrik De Beer of South Africa on the African Project Document on the Implementation of the 2008 SNA – Phase I, which takes into consideration regional specificities. He indicated the objective of the project to be improvement and availability of quality economic data. In his presentation he said that the quality of national accounts data are often questioned because 12% African countries are still using 1968 SNA. On the other hand, he pointed out that the African Charter on Statistics and SHaSA as some of the initiatives that are undertaken to improve statistical data production in Africa, and the system of national accounts as a tool for improving economic statistics.

He mentioned the main challenges confronting the compilation of economic statistics in Africa to be limited human, financial, and technical resources; weak statistical capacity and infrastructure; unharmonious national accounts systems on the continent, inconsistencies and incompleteness in covering the economy, and early stages in the development of national accounts.

He said that the first Phase of the strategy consists of 3 expected accomplishments, 6 outputs and 21 activities where the three expected accomplishments being improved capacities in the production, analysis, and dissemination of national accounts; increased human, financial, and technical resources for national accounts; and the timely and effective completion of the first phase to set a foundation for the implementation of Phase II of the project document. In order to implement the strategy, under Phase I four parallel processes are identified, these being methodological development (US$984,000); institutional strengthening (US$33,000); advocacy campaign (US$127,600); and monitoring, evaluation and reporting (US$235,273). In addition to the above the amount needed for secretarial and administrative support is indicated to be US$2,939,525 while the program support cost is US$561,561.

Discussion on Project Implementation

The participants wanted to know why the amount allocated for secretarial and administrative support is high, why is it necessary to intervene at national level with regards to statistical governance, why the amount earmarked for training and equipment purchase is low, what are the main focus areas of advocacy, further clarification on the budget allocation, why training is included in two separate parts, and the inadequate representation of Statistical Training Centres (STC) from the West African sub-region in the CSC.

In response to the questions raised it was indicated that:  It is the responsibility of all stakeholders to implement the strategy but the NSOs are mainly responsible in countries thus assistance should be provided to them;  The main focus of the advocacy will be for better resource mobilization from domestic sources;  With regards to the budget allocations the participants were informed to have a look at the project document where detailed information is provided on the assumptions taken into consideration on each budget item;  There is collaboration among the pan-African institutions and RECs, and division of labour of each stakeholder on how to implement the 14 activities under Phase I is clearly specified in the project document;  There is a project document on the development of agricultural statistics which is one of the sources of national accounts;  The ToR will address the problem of overlap; and  The representation of STCs in CSC will be taken into account.

Panel Discussion on How to Synchronize Technical Cooperation and Support

AFRISTAT

The representative of AFRISTAT pointed out the need for collaboration in providing technical support in order to avoid duplication and overlap. He further indicated the need to have a common strategic framework; to look into available skills in national accounts; to harmonize the tools of national accounts; to improve programming on how to implement national accounts; to look into the sources of support for member States; the need to recruit consultants; to encourage the creation of working groups at national level; to create a network for sharing information; to coordinate the assistance received from development partners by taking into consideration their specialization; and to undertake advocacy work for resource mobilization.

ENSEA-Abidjan

The representative of ENSEA acknowledged that there are progresses as well as challenges. He indicated the importance of having a strategy; the need to provide training in economic statistics and agricultural statistics; that language should not be a barrier in providing training; the need to provide training for middle level personnel; the availability of a network of statistical training centres in West Africa; the need for harmonization of curriculum between Anglophone and Francophone training centres; the need to hold regular meetings; work on mobilizing students; and to provide training to language groups other than French. He further stressed that strategic planning should have a good leadership; the need for south-south cooperation; to put in place governance structure for cooperation; the need to use IT tools; and the proper utilization of services in STCs.

The representative of IMF briefed the participants on what IMF is doing in Africa. He said that the main objective of IMF in providing technical assistance and training is to produce, compile and disseminate quality data on a timely basis. He indicated that the Fund has 5 capacity building centres that serve the countries in sub-Saharan Africa. He indicated that it has undertaken about 100 technical assistance missions to countries and organized 10 workshops per year. He said the IMF has 2 training centres in sub-Saharan Africa. He indicated that technical support will be provided based on country needs by using advisors, and there is a data quality assessment framework.

He mentioned the main achievement to be the enhancement of national accounts and price statistics in Africa. On the other hand, the challenges faced by the Fund were indicated to be the lack of ownership by national authorities and lack of appropriate staffing in the national accounts section. He indicated that the IMF could not directly fund the project document but will provide technical assistance through its Statistics Department at the headquarters in Washington. He also informed the gathering that IMF will participate as an observer in the CSC.

INSEE-France

The representative of INSEE indicated the importance of group work and said that the support to African countries is mainly provided through AFRISTAT. He indicated that the focus area of INSEE is methodological development. He said that technical assistance has been provided to Morocco and pointed out the necessity of developing a common program. He said that the Institute holds annual seminars, and meetings are held to coordinate technical assistance. With regards to capacity building, he pointed out that INSEE works with AFRISTAT in the West African sub-region. It also provides technical assistance when requested.

The representative of SADC indicated that training and technical support are provided to the SADC headquarters as well as to its member States. The main challenges faced by SADC included difficulty to administer regulations, lack of coordination among funders, lack of capacity, different priorities at member States and headquarters levels, and lack of proper communication among member States, SADC headquarters and development partners.

He said that in order to address the challenges there is a need to align programs of the member States and that of headquarters, provide capacity building on administering procedures, strengthen south-south cooperation, and to develop staff exchange mechanisms between member States. He further mentioned the need to align activities at headquarters with that of the project document.

World Bank

The representative of the World Bank indicated the need to bring together key actors in strengthening national accounts and mentioned coordination as the key; the Bank provides support through its regular statistical capacity building programs; trust funds are available; advisors could be made available to address country specific needs; there is support to the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA); two handbooks are prepared and are made available on its website; it works in collaboration with other partners; and a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed where national accounts is one of the areas.

Discussion on How to Synchronize Technical Cooperation and Support

A request was made to IMF as to why it wants to have an observer status in the CSC rather than becoming a full member and to reconsider its position. In response to the question the representative of IMF indicated that the Fund is committed to strengthen national accounts and it is doing this through its offices in Africa. He also indicated that the resources at headquarters are stretched as a result could not be able to participate in all the meetings, and its funding agencies also wanted it to have an observer status. He further indicated that he takes the concern positively and will convey the message to the Statistics Department at headquarters for their consideration and to inform the organizers of this meeting on its definite position.

Session IV: Discussion and Adoption of the Terms of Reference (ToR) of the CSC, Executive Board and the Secretariat

During the discussions on the ToR it was indicated that:  All the proposed members of the CSC are producers of statistics. There is therefore a need to include users of statistics such as civil society, parliament, private sector, academic and research institutions, etc. Furthermore, the central banks and development partners which are already members of the CSC could be considered as data users;  The three pan-African institutions will assign the manager who will be a fulltime employee and heads the Continental Office;  There is a need to involve all relevant interested development partners in the CSC as there is a need for inclusiveness;  Other stakeholders that are interested in the development of national accounts in Africa could be members of the CSC;  The pan-African institutions have got the mandate to create the CSC from SHaSA which was adopted by the Heads of Government and State. Besides, the invitation letters that were sent to participants clearly stated the objectives of the meeting;  The project document has been prepared by AGNA and was adopted by StatCom-Africa III meeting in January 2012;  The duration of the meeting of the CSC should to be 2 to 3 days;  The Board will take action if the Secretariat does not fulfill its mandate properly; and  The Secretariat will have a collaborative working arrangement with ECA where its main functions are clearly stated in the project document, which include among others, follow- up on the implementation of the project document as well as the monitoring, evaluation and reporting activity.

Session V: Contribution of Development Partners for Economic Statistics and National Accounts in Africa; and Experience and Good Practice in Resource Mobilization

The representative of the Office of Partnerships (OP) of ECA, Ms. Josephine Marealle Ulimwengu made a presentation on resource mobilization. She said that ECA has made re- calibrating its program of work and organizational structure to respond to the transformative development priorities and needs of member States. As a result of the restructuring exercise nine interdependent and complementary sub-programs which reflect and respond to the priorities of member States have been created or strengthened, among them the African Centre for Statistics (ACS) and Capacity Development Division (CDD). The ACS has been expanded with two additional sections of Data Technology and Geo-Information and Sectoral Statistics and more resources are allocated to it. The number of professional staff of ACS will increase from 12 to 43 while the number of support staff will increase from 13 to 19. In addition to ACS, the five-sub- regional offices of ECA have a data centre that generate robust data using innovative techniques, including Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), for evidence-based research and policy formulation. She informed the participants that the in kind and cash contribution of ECA to the project implementation amounts to US$1,627,560. Besides, there is ongoing discussion with pan-African institutions regarding staff secondment to the Continental office. She also said that OP is in consultation with partners regarding resource mobilization that include the ongoing consultations with Australia AID, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, DfID, European Union; and Irish Aid.

Discussion on Resource Mobilization

It was indicated that the work of the Secretariat should start in January 2014 and the recruitment of the project manager should start soon. Besides, if there is a need for interim manager then support will be required from AfDB and AUC. The need to finalize the strategy was also stressed. The representative of AfDB indicated that the Bank will work in collaboration with other development partners to achieve results and also to mobilize resources for the project implementation

Panel Discussion on Contribution of Development Partners for Economic Statistics and National Accounts in Africa; and Experience and Good Practice in Resource Mobilization

AFRISTAT

The representative indicated that resource mobilization for the project implementation will be its priority. He pointed out the need for effective coordination of all development partners. He said that some development partners are interested in supporting specific countries. He further indicated the need to develop medium-term and long-term plans.

The representative indicated the African Strategy to implement the 2008 SNA as ambitious but realistic. The project document is mainly focused on supply side but not on the demand side of the decision makers. The objective should be in producing quality data, and an open discussion should be held with the ministry of finance for resource mobilization. He mentioned the need to stimulate national accounts data demand and the need to capture data from administrative records rather than totally depending on surveys. He also stressed the importance of using available data through proper dissemination and to use available resources more efficiently and effectively. With regards to training he said that to produce high quality staff is ambitious, it will rather be good to focus on vocational training to produce middle-level national accountants. He also indicated the need to properly coordinate ongoing initiatives.

The representative mainly focused his presentation on the work of the Africa Regional Technical Assistance Centres’ (AFRITACs) five sub-regional offices in Africa. He indicated the focus areas of assistance to countries have been SNA implementation and price statistics. He pointed out that AFRITAC-East has been working to implement 2008 SNA by 2022, AFRITAC-West on 1993 SNA implementation by 2014, and AFRITAC-South and AFRITAC-Central on 1993 SNA implementation by 2016.

World Bank

The representative of the World Bank indicated that it works directly with countries; informed the participants on the availability of statistical capacity building initiatives; the provision of finance to countries may be easier; outputs should be clearly specified; the need to clarify quick wins; the budget allocation should not mainly be for secretarial and administrative purposes; and technical assistance could be provided.

Discussion on Contribution of Development Partners Economic Statistics and National Accounts in Africa; and Experience and Good Practice in Resource Mobilization

 The representative AfDB said that the advice provided by the panelists is well taken and clarified that the budget allocated for training and technical assistance should not be considered as administrative cost;  The representative of ECA indicated that advocacy is one of the activities of the project implementation; and  In response to the questions raised by the participants, the representative of IMF indicated that the strategy of the Fund’s support in implementing the 1993 SNA is based on country circumstances; the Fund has good cooperation with some partners in assisting countries, such as the World Bank in Seychelles and AFRISTAT in West and Central Africa, while in other cases it would be difficult to cooperate.

Session VI: Adoption of Conclusions and Recommendations of the Meeting

Introduction

The Inauguration Meeting of the Continental Steering Committee for the African Project on the Implementation of the 2008 System of National Accounts (2008 SNA) was jointly organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), African Union Commission (AUC), and African Development Bank (AfDB). The meeting was held at the United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC) on 17-18 September 2013 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The purpose of the meeting was to inaugurate the Continental Steering Committee (CSC) to assume its roles and functions as the governing body of the Project. The meeting reviewed, discussed, and finalized the organization and arrangements of the CSC, its Executive Board, and Secretariat. It provided guidance and advice on the work plan and resource requirements of the Project.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the following countries: Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco, and South Africa. The following Regional Economic Communities (RECs) were represented: Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and Southern African Development Community (SADC). The following national, regional, and international organizations were represented: AFRISTAT, Australian Aid, Department for International Development (DFID) of the United Kingdom, European Union Delegation, INSEE France, International Monetary Fund (IMF), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the World Bank (WB). The following research and training institutions were represented: School of Statistics and Planning at Makerere University and National School for Statistics and Applied Economics (ENSEA) in Cote D’Ivoire.

Preamble

1. Taking note of the progress, opportunities, and challenges for the development of economic statistics and national accounts in Africa;

2. Acknowledging the importance of improving the quality and availability of economic statistics and national accounts for economic governance, regional integration, and sustainable development in Africa;

3. Recognizing the need to strengthen human, technical, and financial capacities and resources for the development of economic statistics and national accounts in Africa;

4. Bearing in mind that the implementation of the 2008 SNA is an international initiative that provides an opportunity to improve the quality, availability, consistency, and harmonization of economic statistics and national accounts;

5. Recalling that African Heads of State and Government adopted the Strategy for the Harmonization of Statistics in Africa (SHaSA) as a common tool for the harmonization of statistical activities and outputs on the African continent and the African Strategy for the Implementation of the 2008 SNA as the first pillar of the SHaSA;

6. Recalling that the African Strategy for the Implemtatation of the 2008 SNA and its Project are the joint work and product of the African Group on National Accounts (AGNA) and are in accordance with the Global Strategy for the Implementation of the 2008 SNA; and

7. Acknowledging the significance of inaugurating the CSC and operationalizing its Secretariat hosted at UNECA for the implementation of the 2008 SNA in Africa.

The participants adopted the following conclusions and recommendations.

Conclusions

The CSC Members Agreed to:

1. Jointly take ownership of the process and outcome of the African Project on the Implementation of the 2008 SNA; 2. Adopt the Terms of Reference of the CSC, its Executive Board, and Secretariat with amendments to be made by the Secretariat: Providing additional details regarding the governance structure, including hierarchy and reporting lines; Inviting and encouraging development partners to be members rather than observers of the CSC; and Convening CSC meetings once every six months for the first two years of the Project.

3. Promote South-South collaboration, share best practices, and make efficient use of resources for the effective and timely implementation of the 2008 SNA in African countries;

4. Actively engage not only producers but also users of economic statistics and national accounts, including statistical training centers for capacity building activities;

5. Scale-up financial and technical resource mobilization efforts from African countries, subregional, regional, continental, and international organizations, and development partners for the Project; and

6. African countries, sub-regional, regional, continental, and international organizations, and development partners to work together for the implementation of the 2008 SNA in Africa to strengthen synergy and cooperation, and avoid duplication and overlap.

Recommendations

The CSC Members Recommended to:

1. AUC, AfDB, and UNECA:

 Launch and operationalize the African Project on the Implementation of the 2008 SNA on 01 January 2014;  Put into place interim mechanisms aimed at the management and work of the Continental Office;  Further develop the Secretariat component of the budget to illustrate the use of funding for technical assistance and capacity building;  Develop a standard framework for monitoring, evaluating, reporting, and disseminating related reports in a timely manner;  Engage and follow up with development partners regarding the outcome of financial resource mobilization and report the status to the CSC on a quarterly basis; and  Continue advocacy at the national, sub-regional, and regional levels.

2. Regional Economic Communities:  Mobilize technical and financial resources at national and sub-regional levels;  Actively promote and report on the use of national accounts statistics; and  Strengthen collaboration with Sub-Regional Offices of UNECA in view of their new roles in data collection.

3. African Countries:

 Mobilize domestic resources for national accounts through national treasuries and finance ministries; and  Encourage countries to take ownership of the Project by mainstreaming the strategy for the implementation of the 2008 SNA into their national statistical activities.

4. Development Partners:

 Join as members or observers of the CSC and support human and institutional capacity by providing technical assistance;  Support in the mobilization of financial resources for the African Project;  In accordance with the synchronization initiative, support the implementation of the 2008 SNA by providing progress reports to be compiled by the CSC Secretariat prior to the CSC meetings; and  Play an active role in advocating for national accounts. Annex I - Provisional Agenda

Inauguration Meeting of the Continental Steering Committee (CSC) for the African Project on the Implementation of the 2008 SNA Organized by: UNECA, AfDB, and AUC 17-18 September 2013, Large Briefing Room at UNCC of ECA, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Provisional Agenda 17/09/2013 13:30 - 14:00 Registration Session 1 Opening of the meeting: Objectives, organization, and administrative matters 14:00-14:20 Welcome remarks: - United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) ECA - African Union Commission (AUC) AUC - African Development Bank (AfDB) Mr. Lamin Barrow Resident Representative of AfDB in Ethiopia 14:20-14:30 Opening remarks: Deputy Executive Secretary of United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) ECA 14:30-14:45 Adoption of the agenda 14:45-15:00 Introduction of participants 15:00-15:30 Coffee break Session 2 Progresses, Opportunities, and Challenges for the Development of Economic Statistics and National Accounts in Africa 15:30-16:00 Presentation: Strategy of Harmonization of Statistics in Africa (SHaSA) and Speaker: AUC National Accounts 16:00-17:00 Panel Discussion Moderator: AFRISTAT (Panelists: Cameroon; Ghana; Kenya; Morocco; South Africa; COMESA; ECOWAS; and School of Statistics and Planning, Makerere University) 17:00-17:30 Open-Floor Discussion 18/09/2013 Inauguration Meeting of the Continental Steering Committee (CSC) for the African Project on the Implementation of the 2008 SNA Organized by: UNECA, AfDB, and AUC 17-18 September 2013, Large Briefing Room at UNCC of ECA, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Provisional Agenda Session 3 How to Strengthen and Synchronize Technical Cooperation and Support for Economic Statistics and National Accounts in Africa 09:00-09:30 Presentation of the Project Document for Phase I of the African Project on the Presented by AGNA Implementation of the 2008 SNA 09:30-10:15 Panel Discussion Moderator: AfDB (Panelists: Afristat, ENSEA, International Monetary Fund (IMF), National Institute for Statistics and Economics Studies (INSEE), SADC, and World Bank (WB)) 10:15-10:45 Coffee break 10:45-11:15 Open-Floor Discussion Session 4 Discussion and Adoption of the Terms of Reference of the Continental Presentation: AfDB 11:15-12:00 Steering Committee, Executive Board, and Secretariat 12:00-14:00 Lunch Break Session 5 Contribution of Development Partners to the Development of Economic Statistics in Africa; and Experience and Good Practice in Mobilization of Resources for Economic Statistics 14:00-14:30 Presentation of the Resource Mobilization Strategy AfDB, AUC, and ECA 14:30-15:15 Panel Discussion Moderator: Ghana (Panelists: Afristat, Australia Aids, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, European Union, DFID, USAID, IMF, and WB) 15:15-15:45 Open-Floor Discussion 15:45-16:15 Coffee break Session 6 Discussion and Adoption of the Conclusions and Recommendations of the Presentation: The Secretariat 16:15-16:45 Meeting and Proposal for the Next Steering Committee Meeting for Discussion 16:45-17:00 Closing Remarks Annex II – List of Participants COMESA

COUNTRIES Mr. Meshesha Getahun Woldemedhin Statistician Cameroon Lusaka, Zambia [email protected] Mr. Nepetsoun +260-211-22975 Chief of Department National Institute of Statistics ECOWAS Yaoundé, Cameroon [email protected] Mr. Iliyasu Mustapha Bobbo +237-22-22-07-08 Statistics Harmonization and Methodology Abuja, Nigeria Ghana [email protected] +234-805-7962335 Ms. Philomena Efua Nyarko Government Statistician SADC Ghana Statistical Service Accra, Ghana Mr. Ackim Jere [email protected] Senior Officer, Statistics +233-302-664-319 Gaborone, Botswana [email protected] Morocco +267-364-1936

Ms. Ibtissam Sahir Head of Section, National Accounts REGIONAL & Haut Commissariat au Plan INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS Rabat, Morocco [email protected] AFRISTAT +212-660-102240 Mr. Paul-Henri Nguema Meye South Africa Director General Bamako, Mali Mr. Johannes Hendrik De Beer [email protected] Deputy Director General, Economic +223-202-15500 Statistics Statistics South Africa African Development Bank Pretoria, South Africa [email protected] Mr. Lamin G. Barrow +271-231-08024 Resident Representative, Ethiopia Country Office Addis Ababa, Ethiopia REGIONAL ECONOMIC [email protected] COMMUNITIES (RECs) +251-11-554-4344

Mr. Chidozie Emenuga Chief Country Economist, [email protected] Ethiopia Country Office +251-11-544-3666 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia [email protected] International Monetary Fund +251-11-554-6336 IMF AFRITAC East

Mr. Mbong Mbong Luc Mr. Sukhwinder Singh Chief Statistician Center Coordinator Tunis, Tunisia Dar es Salaam, Tanzania [email protected] [email protected] +216-711-03657 +255-22-223-5337

African Union Commission IMF AFRITAC South

Mr. Islam Swaleh Mr. Todor Dimitrov Todorov Policy Officer, Private Sector Development, Advisor, Real Sector Statistics Investment and Resource Mobilization Port Luis, Mauritius Addis Ababa, Ethiopia [email protected] [email protected] +230-207-5363 +251-11-551-7700 World Bank Mr. Nougbodohoue Samson Bel-Aube Statistician Ms. Borbro E. Hexeberg Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Senior Economist [email protected] Washington DC, Unites States of America +251-923-208-033 [email protected] +1-202-473-3733 Economic Commission for Africa DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS Ms. Fatima Denton OiC, Special Initiative Division Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Australia Aid [email protected] +251-11-544-5427 Mr. Endegena Ashenafi Program Officer Mr. Jean-Jacques Nyirubutama Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Chief Programme Officer [email protected] Joint Secretariat Support Office +251-930-000-569 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia [email protected] European Union Delegation +251-11-544-3006 Ms. Paula Cristina Fernandes Ms. Selamawit Abebe Programme Manager Programme Officer Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Joint Secretariat Support Office [email protected] Addis Ababa, Ethiopia +251-915-946-075 Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire National Institute for Statistics and [email protected] Economic Studies (INSEE France) +255-22-440842

Mr. Francois Coute SECRETARIAT Chief, International Technical Support Division Economic Commission for Africa Paris, France [email protected] Mr. Xiaoning Gong +33 (0) 1-41-17-53-01 Chief, Economic Statistics and National Accounts Section United Kingdom Department for African Centre for Statistics International Development (DFID) Addis Ababa, Ethiopia [email protected] Mr. Kenneth Osborne +251-11-544-5425 Senior Statistics Adviser Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Ms. Josephine Marealle-Ulimwengu [email protected] Chief, Resource Mobilization Support Unit +251-0911-203080 Office of Strategic Planning and Programme Management (OPM) United States Agency for International Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Development (USAID) [email protected] +251-11-544-3803 Mr. Daniel Swift Economist Mr. Negussie Gorfe Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Statistician, Economic Statistics and [email protected] National Accounts Section +251-130-6000 African Centre for Statistics Addis Ababa, Ethiopia [email protected] RESEARCH & +251-11-544-3209 TRAINING INSTITUTIONS Mr. Ashebir Desalegn Makerere University Programme Officer, Office of Strategic Planning and Programme Management Mr. Leonard Kiboijana Atuhaire (OPM) Dean, School of Statistics and Planning Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Kampala, Uganda [email protected] [email protected] +251-11-544-3124 +256-414-541558 Mr. Tesfaye Belay National School for Statistics and Applied Statistics Assistant, Economic Statistics and Economics (ENSEA) National Accounts Section African Centre for Statistics Mr. Kouassi Hugues Kouadio Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Director [email protected] +251-11-544-3461 Mr. BegizewYaregal Consultant, Economic Statistics and Mr. Elias Fisseha National Accounts Section Statistics Assistant, Economic Statistics and African Centre for Statistics National Accounts Section Addis Ababa, Ethiopia African Centre for Statistics [email protected] Addis Ababa, Ethiopia +251-11-544-3740 [email protected] +251-11-544-3479 Mr. Biruk Haregu Consultant, Economic Statistics and Ms. Netsanet Abebe National Accounts Section Staff Assistant, Economic Statistics and African Centre for Statistics National Accounts Section Addis Ababa, Ethiopia African Centre for Statistics [email protected] Addis Ababa, Ethiopia +251-11-544-3116 [email protected] +251-11-544-3434