AFRISTAT recently adopted a medium-term plan for the period 2006-2010 dubbed AFRISTAT Strategic Plan of Activities for the period 2006-2010 (ASPA). It was designed firstly as a framework to give visibility and further consistency to AFRISTAT’s technical and financial interventions, and secondly, as a model for States to formulate and implement their statistical development programmes. It may also be viewed as to draw in AFRISTAT’s technical and financial partners and Member States whose contribution is invaluable to the development of statistics.

The formulation of the ASPA was a long process. It is the result of fruitful consultation between many AFRISTAT partners and experts. In particular, the finalization of the document complied strictly with the provisions of the Treaty to establish AFRISTAT. In this respect, the thrusts on which it hinges were laid down by the 14th session of the AFRISTAT Council of Ministers held on 6 April 2005 in Cotonou (Benin). The Scientific Council and the Board of Directors oversaw the implementation of the recommendations of the Council of Ministers.

After several drafts, Management prepared and discussed the draft plan and first plan of action which sometimes, involved some national officials of national statistical systems and resource persons consulted by Management. On the recommendation of the Board of Directors, a working group was set up to share their invaluable experience with AFRISTAT experts for the design of work programmes. The group comprised two representatives from States, two members selected by the Board and a representative of a statiscal training centre.

The results of the work of AFRISTAT experts, assisted by the working group, were presented to the AFRISTAT Scientific Council and Board of Directors in October 2005 for consideration, amendment and approval.

In their last meeting in Cotonou, the members of the Council of Ministers restated the resolve and commitment of their respective governments to develop statistics in the Member States. The Council also affirmed its determination to track the implementation of this plan which is critical to consolidating the efforts made over the last few years to develop statistics.

Through its various components, ASPA spans the core areas of statistics. It duly highlights social statistics, which had for long been the Cinderella of AFRISTAT, with a view to strengthening its role as an organisation supporting the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development policies and programmes, notably, poverty reduction strategies and Millennium Development Goals. It also emphasizes the importance of timely production of reliable basic economic statistics and reports, such as national accounts, which is the basic role of an efficient national statistical system. A good number of entities stand to gain from AFRISTAT’s action during the period 2006-2010, namely: all sub-Saharan African countries, regional integration institutions through their programmes to harmonize data compilation methods as well as schools of statistics.

The dissemination of information had for long been overlooked in Member States. ASPA further raises awareness, in the framework of organizing national statistical systems, on the need to strive for the publication of statistical survey results as well as popularize statistics through various planned activities.

AFRISTAT Management is grateful to all those who supported its experts in the design and actual formulation of this plan. First and foremost, it is indebted to the Council of Ministers which laid down the thrusts within the specified time limit. It is thankful to members of the Scientific Council and Board of Directors for the quality of their discussions on this issue that went a long way to improve the content of ASPA and the 2006 Plan of Action. Furthermore, it recognizes the contribution of Philippe Pommier, Administratreur de l’INSEE, to the development of a comprehensive working framework by sharing with AFRISTAT experts his enlightened views on sub-Saharan African statistical systems and definition of statistical demand. Management would also like to thank Dr Dodji Silete-Adogli, planning economist, who brought his experience to the development of the logical framework of activities. Management commends members of the working group appointed by the Board of Directors for their commitment. Their presence and active participation enhanced the contribution of Member States in this collective endeavour. The following persons deserve special appreciation: Saadna Ould Baheida, Minister of Health and Social Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, esrtwhile Assistant Director of the National Statistical Office during the drafting of the ASPA, Paul Koffi Koffi, Technical Adviser to the Prime Minister of Cote d’Ivoire, Clément Mierassa, International Economic Affairs Adviser in the Ministry of Economy and Finance of the Republic of Congo, N’Guessan Koffi, Director of the Abidjan National Advanced School of Statistics and Applied Economics (Cote d’Ivoire) and Barnabé Okouda, Sub-director, in charge of coordination at the National Institute of Statistics of Cameroon.

Bamako, 27 December 2005

Martin BALEPA

Director General