Tunis, Tunisia African Statisticians have been urged to move on commitments to change the way data is produced for meaningful and evidence-based economic planning. The 8-12 December First Joint Session of the Committee of Directors General of National Statistics Offices and the Statistical Commission for Africa agreed that Africa's data revolution must be African-led.

Tunisia's Minister of Finance and Economy, Mr. Hakim Ben Hammouda elaborated on Tunisia's efforts to improve its evidence-based planning and emphasized the need for statistics for Africa to be generated by Africans. "Without reliable statistics, economic policy projections for Africa cannot be done," he said.

A key issue of debate was the need for an overhaul of GDP estimates, which the meeting acknowledged, need to be valued at a common price level and expressed in a common currency.

Further, more coordination of UN agencies at the continental level on statistical activities as well as in-country coordination and joint capacity development efforts in collaboration with global and regional UN agencies were proposed.

The meeting addressed key areas of strengthening Africa's System of National Accounts, following an agreed African strategy developed in 2008. More needs to be done, agreed the participants, to increase resources, capacity, harmonize systems and develop effective communication strategies to strengthen implementation.

On the issue of agriculture, the meeting stressed the need to strengthen data and statistics in order to achieve a major strategic objective of CAADP that relates to implementing results related to transformation of agriculture and sustained inclusive growth.

The conference was held under the theme, "Agriculture and Food Security in Africa" and was attended by Director Generals of National Statistics Office of African Countries, the Heads of departments of statistical units of the Regional Economic Communities (RECs), Schools and Institute of statistics, AFRISTAT and other Development Partners.