PARIS21 Annual Meetings March 28-30, 2012

1. PARIS21 Annual MeetingsMarch 28-30, 2012 Seminar – NSDS atWork: National & Regional Good Practices Preliminary report on the review of the NSDS in Africa StatisticalCapacity Building Division StatisticsDepartment Africa Development Bank

2. Contents • Background • Objectives of the review • Scope and methodology • Preliminaryfindings • WayForward

3. Background of the NSDS review • Marrakech Action Plan (2004) recommendedthat all countries design NSDS by 2006 • NSDS design and implementationis the overachingstrategy of the Reference RegionalStrategicFramework for statisticalcapacity building in Africa (RRSF) • RRSF sets out a coherentframework to buildstatisticalcapacity initiatives in Africa in line the Marrakech Action Plan • The AfDB in collaboration with UNECA coordinates the implementation of the RRSF • New initiatives, new funding instruments, emerging issues/needs & new players • AfDB has & continues to play a major role in supporting the design & implementation of the NSDS

4. Objective of the review • Overall objective - to review the design and implementationprocess of the NSDS in RMCs. • Specific objectives • Assess NSDS essentials/principles if they are observed • Identify areas of improvementwith a view to provide support • Identifyareas thatrequire attention of the national authorities i.e. advocacy, mainstreaming in the NDP and Budgeting

5. Scope and methodology • Desk review • NSDS documents, national strategy and policy (PRSP, national development plans) and all otheruseful documents for (29):Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Comoros, Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Tanzania, Chad, Togo, Tunisia and Uganda. • Review missions to selected countries based on a combination of issues (7): (Benin, Cameroon, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Gabon and Mali) • Completedthe NSDS • Updatingprevious NSDS generation • Poorlyimplemented, • Not beingimplemented • Target group - NSO heads, NSDS Coordinators, Sector planning officers & Developmentpartners

6. Scope and methodology The reviewbased on the four NSDS essentials: • Integratedinto the national developmentprocess, • Political support & commitment; demandfocussed; funded as a public good;mainstreamed in the NDP; robustlegislation • Developed in an inclusive way; incorporatingresults-based management principles • Based on consensus-building; nationallyled; UN FundamentalPrinciples, etc • Comprehensive and coherent • Covers the NSS; long-termoriented; resource for evidence-basedpolicymaking • Provision for monitoring the status of the statistical system (M&E). • Assessment of the currentstatus of the NSS; vision for statistics; outlinefinancingrequirements, etc

7. Preliminaryfindings1. Integrationinto the developmentprocess Best practices Weaknesses • Improvement in strengthening of linkages between NSDS & PRSP – i.e. promotemobilization of resourcesparticularlyfromexternalpartners(literaturereview) • Demand and better use of statistics(literature & mission review) • Stats Council (if in existence) play an important role in the design of the NSDS (mission review) • Improvement of the leadership of the process of design & managing the NSO (mission review) • Govts are begining to adopt NSDS (mission review) • NSDS Action Plans are toobig and not linked to availablehuman and financialresources. (literature & mission) • Regional and sub-regionalcommittments/activitiesnot wellintegrated or visible (literature & mission) • Externalfundsmainly for householdsurveys, consequentlyresulting • Weak of economic & other routine statistics • Poor harmonized NSS as somedonorschoose to fund the sectors to meetthierrequirements(mission) • Weakpolitical support – pooradvocacy(mission)

8. PreliminaryfindingsDeveloped in an inclusive way; incoporatingresults-based management principles Best Practices Weaknesses • Good coverage of traditionalsectors (education, health, agric) (from mission) • From mission review – only Mali has sectorstrategies • Workshops wereorganized to review the NSDS developmenmtprocess(mission) • Advocacy – (donor round tables, Africanday of Statisticscommemorated. (Benin; twicemonths/year) (mission) • Preparation of work program (mission) • Poor coverage of emarging areas: gender, governance, environment & climate change mainlybecause the guidelines are do not exist(mission) • Lack of participation regional statistical offices (mission) • Weakdevelopment of sectoralstrategies in many countries (mission) • Weakadvocacy (lack of communication plan/strategy, almost absence of the use of radio and TV, etc) (mission) • Weakdissemination of NSDS documents and the process; no info on country websites(mission) • Somestakeholdersfind the contents of NSDS workshops tootechnical and do not understand rational, i.e. whatare benefits, role, etc(mission) • Monotony - same people are invited to workshop. Need to expand to includepolicymakers, legislaters(mission)

9. Preliminary findings Key elements of strategic framework (3. Comprehensive & coherent; and 4. Provision of status of the statistical system (M&E)) Best practrice Weaknesses • All countries have a road map; work plans and budgets (mission) • Statscouncilmakesdecisions and approves Plan and Budget(mission) • Development of elements of strategicframweork(diagnosis, vision, strategies, objectives, action plans…) (lit and mission) • Assess the data demands/needs national and sectoralpolicies (PRSP, MDG, etc.) (mission) • Reference to GDDS (literature & mission) • The road mapprepared but does not match the political agenda (mission) • Fundinglag – implementation not on schedulebecause of lack of funding(mission) • Lack of prioritization of activities, - all depends on the clout of the persondriving the agenda/activity(mission) • Activities are toomany for the availablehuman and financialresources(mission) • Identicalstrategiesfrom country-to-country and yet the problems are different(literature & mission) • Weakintegration of activitiesincluding coordination within the NSO (mission)

10. PreliminaryFindingsImplementation of the NSDS Best Practices Weaknesses • M&E system is in place BUT weak(literature and mission) • For countries advanced in the implementation – prepare & disseminateannualprogress reports (mission) • Dialogue amongstakeholderswithin the NSS to someextent(mission) • Statistical coordination (mission although not in all cases) • Reforms, institutional & legislations, establishment of coordination bodies; a key achievement of the NSDS process(mission) • Poor linkbetween the M&E and outputs/results(literature and mission) • Mid-term or post implementationreview of NSDS - partiallyconducted(mission) • Challenges – NSO find the processtoodemandinggiven the resourceconstraints, espcially if itiscoordinated by one person, and worse if isat a low position (mission) • Lack of clear output indicators and/or statisticalcapacity building (literature & mission) • Lack of a fundingstrategy and hencesustainability of fundingactivitiesis not assured(literature and mission) • Poor advocacy for mobilizingthe requiredfunds(mission) • Lack or poor of humanresourcesstrategies - (literature & mission) • The coordination of stakeholdersthough in place in some countries, isstillveryweak

11. WayForward • Mainstream the NSDS in the national development & budgetingprocess • Clearlydefined M&E framework • Developsectoralstrategies, (SSPS) • Develop a fundingstrategy • Strengtheningadvocacyamongstakeholders, particularlyamong senior staff in govtsothat national resourcescanbemobilized • Improving coordination amongdevelopmentpartnersincluding establishment of thematic groups • Elevatestatistics to the highest possible office • The coordination of NSDS shouldbeat the highestlevel,i.e. the coordinator must hold a senior position • NSDS to bedriven by national authorities – leadership & ownership • Review the statisticallegislation to makeitrobust in order support the NSDS implementationrequirements and emergingneeds • Re-design or update NSDS design to • Reflect the countries’ situation and needs • Makeitrealistic and selectiveaccording to the availableresourceenvelope • Be flexible and focus on achievableimprovements • Scale up the NSDS to regionaleconomicgroupings, (RSDS) Final review report willbe made available as soon as possible

12. Thank you