The use of national accounts in economic analysis and planning in selected countries in Africa

Abstract

It has been clearly shown that national accounting is a technique of classification and synthesis of statistics bearing on the conditions and results of social production in a given community during a given period. It was conceived and designed to reply to the needs of modern States which would lead to take active economic policies based on an in-depth knowledge of the conditions and results, in particular at the macro-economic level, of social and economic activity. That is why, to-day, all countries, particularly the African countries, compile national accounts. Constructed by practitioners in liaison with government departments taking part in major economic decisions of governments and international organizations, national accounts are not theoretical documents or academic studies; they are made to serve as tools not only for macro-economic analyses, but also for formulation and follow-up of plans and economic policies. Presented in the form of a coherent mass of economic indicators and tables, national accounting is a basic tool for economic analysis. One can no longer think of economic studies of one country which do not contain national accounting aggregates. Besides, it has become indispensable in the preparation and formulation of economic policies, as the rigor, consistency and suppleness of the concepts and framework of national accounts make them an ideal tool for making the forecasts and simulations which form the heart of all work on forecasting, planning and programming.