African Centre for Statistics United Nations Economic Commission for Africa When will Africa Exit from Indirect Techniques and Unconventional Data Collection Methods? Meeting of Experts on Post-Ministerial Conference Activities on CRVS in Africa January 2011 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Genene Bizuneh AfDB/ECA Addressing the Human Capacity Gap

African Centre for Statistics 2 2 “To place vital-statistics methods in their proper perspective, it is necessary first to have an understanding of the history of vital records and statistics. …” UN 1955

African Centre for Statistics 3 CRVS Development Scenario 3 Development of conventional CRVS procedures - Europe and the rest of the developed world  Civil registration  Era of ecclesiastical roles (before Christ and early after Christ)  Era of ecclesiastical registration (in the Middle ages)  Secular vital event registration (after early 19 th Century)

African Centre for Statistics 4 CRVS Development Scenario 4  Vital statistics  Landmark – Bills of mortality “John Graunt ( ), … the beginning of vital statistics”  Modern world - Standard methodologies and instruments William Farr (1839) – developed appropriate vital statistics methodologies and instruments for the modern world Integrated engagement of civil registration and vital statistics systems

African Centre for Statistics 5 CRVS Development Scenario 5 Late comers to the conventional CRVS procedures – USA and Canada Civil registration  USA - national death registration 1900, national birth registration 1915, national marriage registration 1957 and divorce registration 1958  Canada – national civil registration system after 1911

African Centre for Statistics 6 CRVS Development Scenario 6 Late comers to the conventional procedures – USA and Canada Vital statistics  United States – nationwide system of vital statistics emerged after 1900;  Canada – nationwide system of vital statistics emerged after Integrated engagement of civil registration and vital statistics systems

African Centre for Statistics 7 Practices in Africa 7 Before independence  Limited to colonial citizens After independence - parallel practices  Civil registration - keeping colonial heritage and initiating projects  Vital statistics detached from civil registration – starting early 60s  Shifted to interim measures – experiences extrapolated from the US  Causes of death statistics followed a different path – shifted to case studies and demonstration sites

African Centre for Statistics 8 Current Regional Initiatives Paradigm shift 8 Follow UN principles and recommendations – 2009 Tanzania regional workshop Country ownership and leadership Enhanced regional coordination and international partnership Developing exit strategies – interim measures to conventional methods

African Centre for Statistics 9 USA Exit Strategy Abandoning alternative/interim measures 9 “… It was abundantly clear that the census method would not give results comparable in accuracy with the method of continuous registration, and the mortality census schedule was abandoned after the census of From that time onwards, efforts were concentrated on developing vital statistics by the registration method” (UN, 1955)

African Centre for Statistics 10 “… It was thought that once every ten years this enumeration of births and deaths would provide an over-all check on the registration, but results were so poor that in 1911 the method was discontinued. From that time forward, every effort was devoted to establishing the registration method by improving and standardizing the provincial legislation with the aim of securing uniform registration laws and procedures throughout the provinces.” (UN, 1955) Canada Exit Strategy Abandoning alternative/interim measures

African Centre for Statistics 11 Lack of regional and national framework Lack of adequate experts in CRVS Academics still maintaining interim methods and procedures Inadequate academic research works on CRVS methods and procedures Absence of courses in CRVS in relevant disciplines Current Challenge to the New Regional Initiative

African Centre for Statistics 12 Priority in human capacity building – regional and national Re-orient national and regional academic institutions on the new regional initiative  As immediate measure develop and implement a course programme on CRVS  Promote research and innovation works on African CRVS Way forward – where to Invest

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