Meeting of the Continental Steering Committee (CSC) for the
African Project for the Implementation of the 2008 SNA
Concept Note
Background
Africa is rising. While policy makers and the public are debating and searching ways to transform the fast economic growth into job creation and social development, more and more people are also questioning whether the economic figures have properly reflected the reality of the economies in Africa and how effective evidence-based policies and good economic governance can be made and achieved based on the currently African economic statistics. The size, productivity, and growth of the economies are officially measured by the indicator of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). GDP is known to be a comprehensive but also complicated indicator to be calculated. The calculation of GDP is guided by the international statistical standard, the System of National Accounts (SNA).
To produce timely, quality, and accurate GDP figures is still challenging for many countries in the world. This is especially so for countries in Africa, for which an African Centre for Statistics survey found that half of African Countries have six or less professional staff working on National Accounts for compiling GDP and other related economic indicators. It was also found that in half of offices there are less computers available than staff, there is a lack of resources to conduct surveys necessary for up-to-date and accurate national accounts, and not all sectors of the economy were necessarily covered by national accounts both formal and informal. Among all the African countries, 12% of them are still using the 1968 version of the SNA and 88% are using the 1993 version of the SNA, while the latest version is the 2008 SNA. In his book entitled Poor Numbers: How We Are Misled by African Development Statistics and What to Do about It, Morten Jerven, in addition to highlighting the 60% increase in Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) over the period of a year due to an over-due rebasing of national accounts from a 1996 to 2006 base year, also noted that of the 47 African countries that he studied, only 10 countries had base years less than a decade old and at least seven African countries had base years from the 1980s.
The African Project for the Implementation of the 2008 SNA is developed by the African Group on National Accounts (AGNA). The goal of the project is to improve the quality of African economic statistics by assisting countries to take steps towards implementation of the 2008 SNA in Member States. The Project is designed as a five year project, with a first phase of two years and a second phase of three years. To implement the 2008 SNA is considered as the first pillar of the Strategy for the Harmonization of Statistics in Africa (SHaSA), which provides a framework for the production of timely, reliable, and harmonized statistical information in support of Africa’s integration agenda adopted by the African Heads of States and Government. The Project is also a continuation of the recent and almost completed International Comparison Programme (ICP) in Africa led by the African Development Bank (AfDB) which assisted countries in the implementation of the 1993 SNA. As such, it is part of an ongoing continent wide coordinated effort to improve national accounts on the Continent.
In this context, the first meeting of the Continental Steering Committee (CSC) for the African Project for the Implementation of the 2008 SNA is to be jointly organized by African Union Commission (AUC), AfDB, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) at the United Nations Conference Center (UNCC), in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 18 September 2013.
Purpose
The purpose of the meeting is to inaugurate the CSC; and for it to assume its functions as the governance of the Project and to provide oversight and guidance to the Project activities and its Continental Secretariat.
Participants
Participants to the meeting include both members and observers to the CSC, consisting of:
a. The Deputy Executive Secretary of ECA (as Chair of the CSC)
b. The Heads of Statistics (and relevant technical staff) from:
i. AUC
ii. AfDB
iii. ECA
c. One representative from statistical offices (specifically offices that produce National Accounts) from each of the subregions on an annual rotation. As such there shall be one representative each for:
i. Central Africa
ii. East Africa
iii. North Africa
iv. Southern Africa
v. West Africa
d. Regional Economic Communities (RECs)
i. Arab Maghreb Union (UMA)
ii. Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)
iii. East African Community (EAC)
iv. Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS)
v. Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
vi. Southern Africa Development Community (SADC)
e. One representative of the IMF Technical Centres (AFRITAC) in Africa
f. One representative from AFRISTAT.
g. One representative from ENSEA (Cote d’Ivoire).
h. One representative from the statistical training centre of Uganda.
1. Observers to the CSC include:
a. The Joint Secretariat Support Office (JSSO).
b. Development partners.
An invitation letter signed by the ECA will be sent to the members and observers to the CSC.
Organization of the Meeting
· The upcoming CSC meeting proposed for 18 September 2013 will be the inaugural meeting of the Continental Steering Committee and will review and finalize:
- the Terms of Reference of the CSC
- the work plan and resource requirements for the Phase I of the Project
- the strategy for resource mobilization and commitments by partners
- the agenda and plan for organizing the donor round-table meeting, and
- the proposal for the next Steering Committee meeting
· The Meeting will be conducted in both English and French
Expected Outcome
By the end of the meeting, it is expected that there will be a consensus on roles and responsibilities of the CSC, the objective and conduct of the project, the strategy for resource mobilization and the commitments by partners, and the way forward.
Resources Requirements (for Participants and Logistics)
Description / No. of Travellers / DS per Day / Ticket / DSA Days / Lump Sum / TOTALParticipants travel (mainly for participants from the Member States) / 10 / $185 / $2,500 / 3 / $30,550
Logistics / $9,000 / $9,000
TOTAL / $39,550
Contact Persons: Secretariat.
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