African Directors General of National Statistics Offices met in Tunis to ensure a coordinated and systematic way of addressing the continent’s development needs through statistics

Tunis, Tunisia, 10 December 2014 – “The demand for statistics that are adequate in scope, timely and accurate and therefore reliable is the yearning of the entire world. We are here to answer that calling” said, Dr. Anthony Mothae Maruping, African Union (AU) Commissioner for Economic Affairs.

Speaking at the Joint session of the committee of Directors General (DGs) of the National statistics Offices and the Statistical Commission for Africa, held in the Tunisian Capital, Tunis, from 10th to 12th December 2014, under the theme: “Strengthening the production of agricultural statistics in Africa for better monitoring and evaluation of CAADP'', Dr Maruping noted that the African Union Commission (AUC) has been, since 2006, organizing the Committee of DGs meeting, which is an important annual gathering of Heads of National Statistics Offices (NSOs) and of all major statistical organizations and professional statisticians across the continent. Since then AUC has joined hands with AfDB and UNECA, explained Dr. Maruping. He added that this gathering provides a common platform for discussion among key players in the African statistics fraternity, in order to ensure a coordinated and systematic way of addressing the continent’s development needs through statistics.

The AUC Commissioner informed the meeting that the African Union Commission in close collaboration with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the African Development Bank, is currently working on developing an Africa regional Integration Index, to respond to the calls by the Sixth Joint Annual Meetings of African Union Conference of Ministers of Economy and Finance and the ECA Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development held in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, in April 2013 and the sixth Conference of African Ministers in charge of Integration, held in Port Louis, Mauritius, in May 2013 for indicators of regional integration in Africa.

The Africa regional Integration Index will be a reference for African Governments in measuring progress towards realization of the agreed vision of an integrated Africa as stipulated in the Abuja treaty, said Commissioner Maruping.

Presenting the Africa Agenda 2063, Dr. Maruping explained that it was initiated and is structured around several programmes that call for effort on the part of all Africans. “Agenda 2063 is based on constitutive instruments of the Union, existing African frameworks and programmes, the solemn declaration of the 50th OAU/AU Anniversary, the study of regional and national strategic plans as well as on the consultations with a wide spectrum of African stakeholders and the diaspora”, he said, adding that it is a people’s document, yet to be formally adopted by the AU Summit, in January 2015. (See full speech on AU web Site: www.au.int )

Mrs. Noureddine Ben Zekri, State Minister of International Cooperation of the Republic of Tunisia; Saidi Hedi, Director General of Statistics of Tunisia and a number of Directors General of Statistics; Representatives of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa; Representatives of the African Development Bank as well as Representatives of various Partners took part in the opening of the first Joint session of the Eighth meeting of the Committee of Directors General of National Statistics Offices and the fourth Statistical Commission for Africa.

For further information contact
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: dic@african-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

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