ECA hailed for commitment to improving statistics on the continent

Abstract

The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) was repeatedly hailed for its commitment and contribution to improving statistical institutions and systems on the continent. During a seminar ‘Facts and Fiction of Africa’s Statistics Narrative’ on the second day of the 5-day 9th African Symposium on Statistical Development (ASSD) in Botswana, ECA took centre stage as different discussants made reference to its commitment to statistics through consistent initiatives including the establishment of the African Centre for Statistics (ACS). The current ECA restructuring and focus on data, statistics and country profiles is not particularly new for ECA. Since its establishment in 1958, statistics has been part of the commission’s main agenda. The establishment of the ACS aims to elevate the ECA as the first call for member States seeking original data to inform policy decisions.