Addis Ababa, 6 May 2017 (ECA) - With a view of enhancing the relevance and impact of Country Profiles (CPs), the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) introduced a conceptual framework to reshape their production and ensure that the documents are a reference for African policy makers and other stakeholders with more focus on structural transformation.
‘Structural transformation (ST) with a focus on Employment (E), Production (P) and Society (S) (STEPS)’ which is a side event at the forthcoming 51st Session of ECA and the Annual Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development aims to present the reports as vehicles to disseminate country and regional data and policy analyses on structural transformation with a view to promoting sustainable economic and social development in member States.
STEPS Profiles build on the achievements of the original ECA Country Profiles and take them a step further by sharpening the focus on structural transformation. This strategic refocusing is fully consistent with ECA’s mandate to support member States’ efforts to achieve structural transformation.
Additionally, the STEPS Profiles will also provide valuable data and policy analyses on structural transformation and will be the first reference for anyone seeking a concise and comprehensive assessment of structural transformation on the continent at country level. With the core objective of accelerating structural transformation within member States, there are three inherent dimensions assessed in each of these reports namely; employment, production and society.
The assessment in the profiles speaks directly to the need to transform economic and social structures within member States, with employment playing a key role in linking economic growth (production) and social development (society) – in both directions. The main areas analyzed in the reports are labour productivity, decent work, and education and skills diversification, linkages, and technology; and demography, health,and poverty and inequality under the three focus areas of employment (E), production (P) and society (S).
ECA will introduce the STEPS for Sustainable Development (STEPS4SD) framework at the side event and will present the five pilot Profiles that have been produced todate namely; Benin, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Morocco and Zambia. While the ultimate objective of the framework is to track progress in the achievement of sustainable development through accelerated structural transformation in member States, STEPS4SD is the framework that shapes the design and implementation of STEPS Profiles.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON STEPS
Since 2016 ECA has published 52 Country Profiles as mandated in 2014 by ECA resolution 917 (XLVII). In 2017, ECA introduced a conceptual framework to reshape the production of CPs with more focus on structural transformation.
The STEPS Profiles are produced through coordination involving ECA’s Sub-Regional Offices (SROs), African Centre for Statistics (ACS), Macroeconomic Policy Division (MPD), Regional Integration and Trade Division (RITD), Social Development Policy Division (SDPD), and other divisions.
STEPS Profiles will provide cutting-edge data and policy analyses on structural transformation in member States and will strengthen ECA’s position as a premier think-tank in Africa.
For details about the conference, related videos and information for participants, visit:
https://www.uneca.org/cfm2018
For more on the Side Events:
https://www.uneca.org/cfm2018/pages/side-events-and-other-meetings
For details on the Regional Coordination Mechanism:
https://www.uneca.org/rcm19
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Issued by:
Communications Section
Economic Commission for Africa
PO Box 3001
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel: +251 11 551 5826
E-mail: eca-info@un.org