Statistical support for development in Africa : executive summary

Abstract

The Conference of Ministers is invited to consider the role of quantitative information in African development, particularly in the context of the Lagos Plan of Action. The main thesis of the present paper is that effective implementation of the Plan requires a satisfactory supply of economic and social data for all countries of the region. Without such information, development efforts and attempts to solve current problems have to rely largely on guesswork which, together with other constraints, cannot lead to economic and social advancement.