1. African Centre for Statistics United Nations Economic Commission for Africa Session 5: Progress Report for Phase I of African Project on SNA (actions, achievements, challenges) Katalin Bokor Economic Statistics and National Accounts Section African Centre for Statistics AGNA meeting 12-15 May 2015

2. African Centre for Statistics Outline of the presentation I. Actions and achievements –Country plans and follow-up actions (Pillar 1) –Capacity building (Pillar 2) –Institutional strengthening (Pillar 3) –Compiling technical documents and practical guidebooks (Pillar 4) –Advocacy (Pillar 5) –Monitoring, evaluation, and reporting (Pillar 6) II. Challenges –Countries’ needs for training, TA and financial assistance –Challenges and actions to resolve issues (continental, country level)

3. African Centre for Statistics I/1. Country plans and actions As of March 2015, 22 countries reported to have already formulated country plans –Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Mali, Morocco, Mauritius, Niger, Nigeria, Uganda, South Africa, South Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tunisia and Zimbabwe 16 countries are currently elaborating country plans –Angola, Botswana, Central African Republic, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Madagascar, Mauritania, Mozambique, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Togo and Zambia

4. African Centre for Statistics I/1. Country plans and actions (Cont’d) Most countries have already taken one or more of the following actions: –Strengthening the institutional framework and management structure for national accounts; –Adhering to international classifications (activities, products, etc.); –Harmonizing with other statistical systems such as the balance of payments, public finances, etc.; –Administering statistical operations including censuses, surveys, studies, etc.; –Improving conditions to access different data sources; –Updating the business register; –Conducting training for national accountants; –Changing to a new base year and software for compilation of national accounts.

5. African Centre for Statistics I/1. Country plans and actions (Cont’d) Survey on countries’ needs assessment (Dec 2014 – March 2015) Survey on partners’ assistance provision (April-May 2015) Matching demands to supply

6. African Centre for Statistics I/2. Capacity building AfDB: –national accounts experts peer review missions on request (Kenya, Nigeria, Zambia) –international national accounts consultants to carry out specific TA missions (Seychelles, Uganda)

7. African Centre for Statistics I/2. Capacity building (Cont’d) AFRISTAT: strategy to implement the 2008 SNA in its Member States –Progressive approach (3-5 years transitions period) –Six pillars: »(i) help Member States to migrate with success from the 1993 SNA to the 2008 SNA; »(ii) reinforce institutional and organizational capacity of national accounts sections; »(iii) assist countries to put in place an operational and efficient system to produce and analyse national accounts; »(iv) develop an operational system for the publication of national accounts; »(v) assist and monitor the implementation of the 2008 SNA; and »(vi) coordinate assistance with other partners.

8. African Centre for Statistics I/2. Capacity building (Cont’d) AMU: –members carried out meetings and agreed on a common classification –work on a common base year and conduct surveys mainly on the informal sector and employment –discussing how to apply balance of payments manual (BOP 6), how to allocate FISIM COMESA –training on national strategies and plans held in Uganda and a training in Zambia on accounting for financial services according to the 2008 SNA

9. African Centre for Statistics I/2. Capacity building (Cont’d) ECA: –Training Workshop on the Implementation of the 2008 SNA (21-23 January 2014, Nouakchott, Mauritania) »31 participants from NSOs, Ministries of Planning and Central Banks of 11 francophone African countries. –Training on the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) »In collaboration with GIZ and the United Nations Statistical Division »(i) an online training over 8 weeks and 5 modules during September- November 2014; »(ii) an on-site workshop on 2-5 February 2015 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. »20 African countries have participated and completed the online training course and on-site training workshop. –Technical assistance mission to Senegal (March 2015) to finalize national action plan

10. African Centre for Statistics I/2. Capacity building (Cont’d) ECCAS: –Training workshop on the implementation of the 2008 SNA in November 2014. Participants discussed the different tables, rebasing ECOWAS: –Development of an ECOWAS classification of activities and product in line with ISIC rev 4. and CPC rev. 2, that the Council of Ministers adopted –Adoption of a roadmap for the implementation of the 2008 SNA –Roadmap for the implementation of the new common platform –Regional statistical programme 2014-18 includes activities on national accounts in line with the 2008 SNA

11. African Centre for Statistics I/2. Capacity building (Cont’d) IMF: –FY 2015: 96 TA missions on national accounts and 13 regional workshops –FY 2016: 95 TA missions on national accounts, 12 regional workshops organized by RTACs, a three-week course on national accounts statistics at HQ (July-August 2015), a two-week course on national accounts statistics at the Africa Training Institute (February 2016) SADEC –training workshop in Botswana about the implementation of the 2008 SNA, including the assessment of current status, challenges, and follow up actions; the requisites including the different classifications and standards; and the importance of improving business registers UNSD –a number of meetings organized (i.e. Kampala, SADEC, etc.) where it provides the tools for self-assessment

12. African Centre for Statistics I/3. Institutional strengthening ECA launched a “community of practice” on the compilation of supply and use tables as well as the use of administrative data in national accounts. The purpose is to produce country contributions, in the form of case studies and sharing country experience for the two technical documents and practical guidebooks.

13. African Centre for Statistics I/4. Compiling technical documents AFRISTAT: –Member States are validating a Methodological Guide on the Production of National Accounts in AFRISTAT Member States (According to the 2008 SNA) –On-going work on a Methodological Guidebook on the Back-casting of National Accounts

14. African Centre for Statistics I/4. Compiling technical documents (Cont’d) ECA: –Exhaustive survey on the use of administrative data in the compilation of national accounts carried out among African countries »December 2013-January 2014 »46 responses –Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on Administrative Data »By ECA in collaboration with the Sub-Regional Office for Eastern Africa (SRO-EA) »23-27 June 2014, Kigali »16 countries –Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on Supply and Use Tables »ECA in collaboration with the Sub-Regional Office for Southern Africa (SRO-SA) »2-6 June 2014, Port Louis »25 countries –Both documents are being finalized and handbook on the informal sector is under preparation

15. African Centre for Statistics I/4. Compiling technical documents (Cont’d) UNSD: –ongoing work on several technical documents: »handbook on financial production is being finalized »Input-Output Tables »economic tenancy surveys »monthly accounts »business cycle indicators »non-profit institutions »back-casting methods –e-learning facility with the Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific

16. African Centre for Statistics I/6. Monitoring, evaluation, and reporting Inaugural Meeting of the CSC in September 2013: CSC will meet every 6 month during Phase I, and once a year in Phase II of the Project ToRs of the CSC were established during its Inaugural Meeting held in September 2013 in Addis Ababa. 2nd CSC Meeting (or the Friends of the Chair of the CSC) was held on 2-4 April 2014 in Addis Ababa 3rd CSC Meeting convened on 8-9 December 2014 in Tunis

17. African Centre for Statistics I/6. Monitoring, evaluation, and reporting (Cont’d) Progress report template for the African Project endorsed by the Friends of the Chair meeting –Updated on a biannual basis by the Secretariat –Presented to both AGNA and the CSC As part of the transition to Phase II of the project, consultation with stakeholders about the experience, progress and gaps observed so far –Report will be circulated

18. African Centre for Statistics Figure 1: Training needs of countries (by activity and planned date for moving to 2008 SNA) II/1. Challenges

19. African Centre for Statistics Figure 2: Technical assistance needs of countries (by activity and planned moving date) II/1. Challenges (Cont’d)

20. African Centre for Statistics Figure 5: Financial assistance needs of countries (number of countries by activity) II/1. Challenges (Cont’d)

21. African Centre for Statistics II/2. Challenges and actions to resolve issues At the continental and regional level: 1.Institutional coordination: –avoid duplication of activities, improve communication –Secretariat has proposed to the three pan-African institutions (AfDB, AUC, ECA) to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to assist African countries to implement the 2008 SNA 2.Reporting mechanism: –a template has been developed to provide stakeholders a tool to follow the progress made, AGNA account newsletter is prepared regularly –stakeholders are invited to report biannually to the Secretariat on activities

22. African Centre for Statistics II/2. Challenges and actions to resolve issues (Cont’d) At the continental and regional level: 3. Supporting countries to play a key and central role in the project –the report on the needs assessment of countries is expected to help to match countries’ individual needs to partners capacity for assistance provision 4. Financial resource mobilization –the expected MoU can help pan-African institutions to show their engagement for the project and pool together resources

23. African Centre for Statistics II/2. Challenges and actions to resolve issues (Cont’d) At the country level: funding issues lack of adequate basic economic statistics, proper business register, price statistics (other than CPI), etc. paired with data reliability issues large differences in sub-regional communities make harmonization more difficult lack of independence of NSOs lack of ownership by the authorities inadequate data coordination reluctance to release new series of national accounts

24. African Centre for Statistics United Nations Economic Commission for Africa Thank you Participants are invited to: Comment on the progress that has been made Comment on challenges not mentioned above Provide advice on how to improve and strengthen the implementation of the project