African Statistics (vol 1 2005)

Abstract

The most compelling evidence of the relevance of the NSDS approach to Africa is that the approach was born in Africa. NSDSs have their roots in the Addis Ababa Plan of Action for Statistical Development in Africa in the 1990s (AAPA). Making the transition to evidence-based policy-making and improving statistical systems can best be achieved through designing and implementing a demand-driven, user-fo-cused national statistical development plan. This was recog-nised by the authors of the Addis Ababa Plan and remains true today. An evaluation in 2001 of statistical development in Africa found that the AAPA had not achieved the scale of improvements needed in statistical capacity. Lessons have been learnt and NSDSs face both a more favorable and a more challenging environment for statistics. A good strategy, adequately funded and successfully implemented can lead to a step increase in the performance of the NSS and help those countries trapped in the vicious cycle of under funding and under performance to break free.