Implementation of 2008 System of National Accounts expected to get underway after Seminar of experts
ECA Press Release No. 41/2011
Addis Ababa, 07 April 2011 (ECA) - Preparations are underway for the next week’s seminar on the implementation of the 2008 System of National Accounts, which will be held on 11-15 April 2011 at the United Nations Conference Centre in Addis-Ababa.
Organized by the African Centre for Statistics (ACS), in collaboration with the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), the Seminar will address the implementation strategy of the SNA adopted in 2008, which according to the organizers, has seen very limited implementation in Africa.
“The purpose of the seminar is two-fold - to initiate an implementation programme for the 2008 SNA and to support economic statistics,” says the ACS Director, Dimitri Sanga.
“We hope to develop comparable economic statistics for member states in order to monitor the integration of their economies,” he adds.
According to documentation received by the Information and Communication Service of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), it is expected that this initiative will lead to a multi-year programme to move the countries over to the 2008 SNA and to establish a minimum common data set of annual and high frequency statistics. This regional programme will be part of the global implementation.
Participants will bring with them national accounts data for the African Statistical Yearbook and will present their country reports, including challenges, current and planned activities on the implementation of the 2008 SNA.
Nine themes will be tackled, focusing on the implementation of the 2008 SNA as well as related issues concerning high frequency indicators for the development of the national accounts and the work programmes of the African Group of National Accounts (AGNA) and those of AfDB, AUC, and UNECA related to National Accounts.
The results of the seminar will be important inputs for the Regional Project and the activities of AGNA. It is expected that the Seminar will reach consensus on a comprehensive, region-wide assessment of countries’ current capacity and needs to produce the basic economic statistics and National Accounts for policy and decision making; a region-wide roadmap to enhance the scope and quality of basic economic statistics and National Accounts for improved policy and decision making; and a minimum common data set of annual and high frequency statistics. More than 80 participants will be drawn mainly from National Statistical Offices (NSOs) of member countries in Africa as well as Central Banks and Reserve Banks.
Representatives from UNSD and AfDB, as well as partners and regional organizations will make technical input. Other major organizations, including EUROSTAT, GIZ, AFRITAC-West/Centre, AFRISTAT, ECOWAS, CEMAC, and COMESA will also be in attendance.
Issued by:
ECA Information and Communication Service P.O. Box 3001
Addis Ababa Ethiopia
Tel: 251 11 5445098 Fax: +251-11-551 03 65 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.uneca.org
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