United Nations Statistical Commission

Reliable, timely and internationally comparable macroeconomic and financial statistics are essential for policymakers. These data are the basis for economic policy formulation within countries, provide transparency on government actions, and guide the private sector and other stakeholders such as international institutions, rating agencies, markets, and the public in their decision-making.

Capacity development in the form of technical assistance and training is at the core of efforts to assist countries in Africa to enhance the availability of data. Successful capacity building requires tailor-made strategies to meet the countries' needs and to take into account financial, technical, and human resources available for sustained progress. With the wealth of administrative data available in different government agencies or the private sector, effective coordination among data-producing agencies and users has become a major new focus. Africa is fortunate to have the support of a multitude of donors for statistical development and this calls for effective coordination of all involved.

This seminar will provide an overview of the statistical capacity development in Africa offered by the IMF and by Norway and the views of selected country authorities on their experience. The emphasis will be on identifying how best to design programs and effective ways of coordinating with data providers in the countries and with different capacity development providers.

Agenda

1.  1:15pm Welcome
   Ms. Christine Meyer, Director General, Statistics Norway and
   Mr. Louis Marc Ducharme, Director, Statistics Department, IMF
2.  1:25pm Capacity Development in Africa 2010 - 2016 - IMF work on macroeconomic and financial statistics
   Mr. Louis Venter, IMF
3.  1:40pm Statistics Norway's Capacity Development Projects in Africa
   Ms. Irene Tuveng, Statistics Norway
4.  1:55pm The views of a recipient country - Ghana and Uganda
   Mr. Ben Mungyereza, Executive Director, Uganda Bureau of Statistics
   Mr. Baah Wadieh, Acting Statistician General of the Ghana Statistical Service
5.  2:15pm Discussion

Lunch will be available at the Vienna Cafe, top of ramp, in front of the conference room