United Nations Economic Commission for Africa

Title

Meeting of Directors of NSOs on the data revolution in Africa

African Data Consensus and the implementation roadmap, role of NSOs

Wednesday, January 20, 2016 to Friday, January 22, 2016

United Nations Conference Centre in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Final Meeting Report now ready

Background

The call for a data revolution was first made by the Secretary General’s High Level Panel of Eminent Persons in 2013. Following the call, the pan-African organizations, led by ECA, organized an ad-hoc experts group meeting to brainstorm on what it means and how Africa should ensure that Africa leads its implementation in Africa. The EGM was organized in the sidelines of the seventh meeting of the Committee of Directors General of National Statistical Offices so that the discussions would be presented to the meeting of DGs to make them aware of the developments and inform their deliberations.

Following the report on statistical activities by the pan-African organizations to the Seventh Joint AU Conference of Ministers of Economy and Finance and ECA Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, held in Abuja, Nigeria, from 25 to 30 March 2014, the Joint Conference requested AUC, ECA, AfDB, UNDP and other partners to organize a high-level conference on Data Revolution in Africa. This request was reiterated by the 23rd Ordinary Session of the African Union, held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, from 20 to 27 June 2014. This high level conference was organized in March 2015 as a side event of the eighth AU-ECA Joint Conference of Ministers, with the organizational secretariat at ECA.

During the Ninth committee of Directors General of National Statistical Offices in Libreville, Gabon from 26-28 November 2015, a presentation of the report of the HLC was made. One of the recommendations was that the report should first be reviewed by the DGs before being submitted to the AU summit for endorsement.

The EGM

This EGM is being organized to provide a forum for that review by the DGs. It will provide a focused discussion on the African Data Consensus and the implementation roadmap and ensure the role of NSOs in implementing the data revolution in Africa.

Date and Venue

It will be held at the United Nations Conference Centre in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 20-22 January 2016.

Expected Outcomes

A common understanding (position) on the concept of data revolution and what it means for Africa.
An consensus on the role of NSOs in its implementation.
An action plan for implementing the Data Revolution in Africa based on the principles set in the African Data Consensus, SHaSA and the African Charter on Statistics
An opportunity to prepare for the United Nations Statistical Commission in March 2016

Target Audience

All DGs of Statistics in Africa will be invited and are highly encouraged to attend in person. Other resource persons will also be invited to contribute to the discussions.