Special African Statistics Day 2006: statement by Mr. Abdoulie Janneh UN under secretary general and executive secretary of ECA

Abstract

Statement by Mr. Abdoulie Janneh UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ECA at the Special African Statistics Day 2006. Mr. Janneh, on his remarks highlighted that, African Statistics Day is a yearly advocacy tool aimed at raising awareness of the importance of Statistics in the economic and social development of Africa. This Day, normally celebrated on the 18th of November each year, was this year postponed by a few weeks, in order to hold it here in Luanda. The MDGs as well as the need to monitor progress towards the priorities of NEPAD and for the African Peer Review Mechanism – APRM) are providing needed impetus for the development of statistics in our region. There has been a general improvement in the availability of statistics in Africa in recent times. Capacity continues to be a constraint in most countries. The horizon in this regard does not look especially bright, as enrolment in statistics programs in many African universities remains very low.