On Promoting Capacity building of harmonized and integrated data collection networking in ECA: The role of RECs and SROs I Introduction Strengthening institutions and building capacity is one of the main Africa’s development challenges. The building capacity include as well the (i) Improved statistical capacity of member States to facilitate planning for achieving the MDGs and for monitoring progress (ii)Strengthened and better-networked institutions and centres of excellence. See ECA Business Plan Structurally, there are three main data sources for data collection; at country, sub-regional and regional levels, in line with UN addressing programmers at country level, sub-regional level and regional level respectively The repositioning of SROs, recall the General Assembly resolution with the general assembly sixty first session, 2006 to strengthen role of SROs in promoting Africa’s regional integration agenda at the sub-regional level, we may then add SROs as a fourth layer in the networking process of data collection

Introduction (Cont.) The major action plans for strengthening the SROs include: (i) The introduction of electronic platform for networking and information dissemination ( ii)Working for results in accordance with sub-regional priorities SROs provide advisory services and technical support to the regional integration agenda of their respective RECs through multiyear programmes (MYPs) including training workshops. SROs deliver their assistance in development cooperation within a coordinated approach that stresses the ownership, harmonization and alignment to national priorities. The activities and service delivery by SROs expected to enhanced capacity building in RECs, particularly in regional integration. However, for the results of these activities to be a data evidence, these results need to be based on quality data that are reliable and timely available. Therefore, the mechanisms of data collection are vital to the intervention of ECA in the development activities ECA process of services delivery assigned SROs to link it with RECs, on the other hand both RSOs and RECs need to work closely together, so that ECA to can transmit its services to RECs and their respective member states. Accordingly, SROs and RECs act as linkages between ECA and the member states that access the ultimate target to strengthen policy and build technical capacity at the country level.

II The current status of data collection network According to ECA’S Business Plan , the work programme on statistics will focus on: “monitoring progress in statistical capacity- building; strengthening the coordination and harmonization of statistical development activities; supporting the implementation of national strategies for the development of statistics; providing technical assistance and capacity-building to member States” See ECA Business Plan The African Centre for Statistics (ACS) of ECA is in charge to execute this work plan. The ACS in its efforts to strengthen the statistical capacities of member States, improving economic management, and tracking progress towards nationally, regionally and internationally agreed development goals, including the MDGs, has established a repository on Africa through its database, providing data aggregated at the country sub regional and regional levels.

Current status ( cont.) Annually, a document extracted from this database “African Statistical Yearbook “ (ASYB) which is produced in collaboration with African Development Bank and the African Union Commission The (ASYB) is accessible through the internet with the aim to avoid duplication of efforts in data collection and to provide the clients with harmonized data sets, hence achieve the desirable of improved data on the Continent. The ACS, is aware with the loops and gaps in the network that defines the processes of data collection in Africa which may be symbolically represented with the following Chart

Chart1: A Typical Network Of Data Collection In ECA ECA/ACS o REC 2REC mREC Y SRO Z Country 1 Country 2 Country m Country 3 REC 1 Country X Country 1 SRO 2 Other Data Sources & Users SRO 1 Other Data Sources & Users

Current status ( cont.) This Charts, although is not exhaustive in description, it can at least describe several routes of data collection (in real life the number of possible different routes exceeds 10⁵⁰. Let The symbolic relation below indicates that the data follow from its source say A ( producer) to its destination sayB ( the user) With two heads arrow indicating a feedback flow of data AB

Current status ( cont.) The chart above shows the intermediate and linkages roles of RECS and SROs in the process or networking of data collection which is in consistency with the repositioning of ECA to its SORs to be its front arms, in correspondence to RECs that represent their respective member states. From Chart 1 we note that: At a country level: One way or a feedback flow of data may exist or may not exist between a member state and (i) Other Member states, (ii)A given REC (iii)A given SRO (iv)ECA or other data sources The same eight possibilities can be said for a given REC or a given SRO. For instance, although no data exchange between REC 1 and REC2, we note that there is a mutual exchange of data flow between REC m and REC Y. The same can be said to SRO1 and SRO2 on one hand and SRO1 and SRO3 on the other hand in regards to the routes of data use and data dissemination

Current status ( cont.) A given country may skip one or two layers in its data network, example Country 2 with established a feedback relation with ECA. This in turn may provide an indication to the level of capacity building of a given country with respect to data collection At the level of RECs and SROs Although, from Chart (1) we could deduce the 16 route’s possibilities in the flow of data collection process, however in practice two possibilities may deserve the attention (A)A given SRO say SRO1 that collects data from a given country say country1, then share it with ECA and a given REC, say REC1 in contrast to SRO, say SRO Z which collect data from a country, say country X, through a REC, say REC Y and transmit it to ECA and in the same manner provides data to country X through REC Y (B)A given REC, say REC1, that collect data from either its countries say country1 and indirectly from contry2 and also obtain data from SRO1 in a absence of a channel to share its data stock to other partners. In contrast to a REC that established a mutual feedback of data collection and dissemination channel, say RECY and Country X and SRO Z

III The optimal roles of RECs and SROs within ECA‘s data collection strategy Based on the advantages of internet technologies, ECA has recently launched its developed statistical database platform. At the pilot stage this platform was successfully installed at SRO-NA. The ACS in ECA in the final stage, on a request from UMA, of customizing and producing e an Arabic version of this platform to be installed at UMA premises. The desirable features of this statistical database includes: A Centralized database; A generic database; Fully parameter driven application ; complete scalability ;stores, retrieves and disseminates data at national and sub regional level. Countries represent the basic units in the physical scope of this platform, however due to its scalability this platform allows thousands of users to retrieve and manage hundreds of thousands of data cells that pertaining to the African economy and other data resources.

Current status ( cont.) The main target of ECA/ACs is the production, compilation and dissemination of harmonized statistical data. To attain this paramount target, ECA/ACS in addition in providing this infrastructure by installing it at the premises of SROs and RECs, it also exercising the responsibility of training the staffs in RECs and SROs on how to administer and use this platform. Accordingly, ECA, ACs, not only sharing its collected data with RECs and SROs, but it also access the opportunity to SROs and RECs to address their special data need and to produce in addition a harmonized data that may update ECA main statistical database. Chart (2), below may depict a hypothetical status of a given country

Chart 2: The distribution of data stock between a given country, an SRO, a REC and ECA/ACS

Although, the construction of the above chart can only be provided by the given country if we assume that country does not disseminate its database, however by comparing different charts of different counties we may get an indication for the statistical capacity of a given country and in particular, the degree of harmonized data collected and or the extend of integration in data collection. As a general rule, the fewer number of indicator or the smaller the size for data restrictly pertaining to a given country, the higher expected to be the degree of integrated and harmonized data collected in that country. The same remark, may be applicable for a given REC or a given SRO as the chart below illustrates Chart 3: The distribution of data stock between a given country, an SRO a REC and ECA/ACS

Proposed Structural Framework for data collection and data updating Given that, ECA completed its strategy of installing its Statistical database at each SRO and at each REC and given that t with collaboration of ECA and SROs on one hand and each REC on the other hand to install this platform at country level, then the following Chart may be operative:

Chart 4: Feedback Data Collection mechanism based on the ongoing data collection strategy of ECA/ACS ECA/ACS SRO 1o REC 2REC mREC Y SRO Z Other Data Sources & Users Country 1 Country 2Country mCountry 3 REC 1 Country XCountry 1 SRO 2 Other Data Sources & Users

From the chart we can read that a feedback flow of data exists between and within each of countries, RECs, SROs and ECA/ACS. Conclusion Guided by the basic functions of SROs which include to : liaise between ECA headquarters and governments in the sub-region, provide ECA’s secretariat with information on the needs and problems of the sub-region, assist in organizing activities aimed at building development capacity and to provide advisory services at the request of the countries concerned, this presentation attempt to describe the reality and the prospects on regards to the roles of SROs and RECs in the process of data collection within the ongoing ECA strategy for the desirable mechanisms of data collection. The proposed framework shows how the implementation of ACS strategy with regard to collecting integrated and harmonized statistical data resulted from customizing and installing its central statistical database platform at SROs, RECs and country levels, will fill the gaps in the network of data collection, hence this strategy will maintain the production of integrated and harmonized statistical products that in turn will promote the statistical building capacities at SROs, RECS and at the country levels respectively.