WASHINGTON: Senior officials from East African countries agreed during a workshop that significant progress had been made over the past five years in expanding and improving national accounts statistics and in implementing several 2008 System of National Accounts recommendations.

They participated in the IMF’s East African Regional Technical Assistance Center (East AFRITAC) workshop in Zanzibar, Tanzania. Thirteen officials representing the East African Community (EAC) and national statistical offices of Burundi, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda took part in the East AFRITAC harmonization workshop during February 16-20, 2015.

For each country, the economic statistics strategies were presented and discussed. In addition to harmonizing the national accounts, the statistical offices for Burundi, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Malawi, and South Sudan will continue to focus on implementing the General Data Dissemination System; while those of Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda will focus on implementing the Special Data Dissemination Standard. The workshop also helped to ensure that the technical assistance program for real sector statistics is closely aligned with member countries’ needs. The knowledge acquired by participants will contribute to improved planning and implementation of macroeconomic statistics development work in East African countries.

Source: Customs Today

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