Produce quality country profiles that conform to international norms and standards

Abstract

The Focal Points for the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) from Capo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal, countries for which the development of profiles is programmed for 2014-2015 as well as the Focal Points from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), from the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) and from the Economic and Statistical Observatory for Sub-Saharan Africa (AFRISTAT), closed their meeting in Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire) with the Sub-Regional Office for West Africa of the Economic Commission for Africa. In their respective presentations, countries reviewed the changes and institutional organization of their statistical systems as well as the systems of production and dissemination of data currently in effect, with a special emphasis on the different actors involved, the nature of their operational relationships and outlooks. Discussions with the Focal Points revealed difficulties in the explicit definition of indicators as well as in the coordination at the national level with the different actors involved in the system of production and dissemination of data. At the end of the meeting, the participants formulated recommendations and commitments. For the ECA, they recommended, among other things, a regular exchange of information with the Focal Points on the production of country profiles in order to enable best practices to be shared in the country, the dissemination and restoration at the national and regional levels the country profiles developed.