Young African Statisticians in ASSDs

1. On the 2010 Round of Population and Housing Censuses (RPHCs)agenda:-Stats SA strategic objective number 6 mandates Stats SA to partake in international statistical activities. The vision of ISIbalo Capacity Building Programme is to create a completely literate society in Africa by creating awareness about the role of statistics and advocating for statistical literacy through the mentoring of professionals and training of learners, educators and the general public in statistics, advocating for statistical literacy and creating awareness to all stakeholders about the role and importance of statistics in development. Under the programme, Young African Statisticians (YAS) have a mandate of statistical continuity and new statistical developments within Africa with the support of National Statistics Offices, who also have a role to involve the YAS in their programmes and activities.A number of YAS have been deployed to Census Observers’ Missions in African countries undertaking census in the 2010 RPHCs. The Census Observers’ Mission is a legacy project that is currently supported by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The aim is to expose YAS to all phases of the census value chain (from planning to dissemination) to ensure skills acquisition in various stages of the census. To date, two missions have been conducted involving 6 unemployed YAS who were attached to the South African Census in 2011 and five YAS who were sent to Rwanda in 2012. The National Statistics Office of Rwanda involved the YAS in the population census from 8 August to 16 November 2012, giving them 45 days of exposure to census organisation, fieldwork listing, enumeration, reverse logistics and drafting of the mission report.

 

2. On the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Agenda:-African Ministers responsible for Civil Registration committed in their first conference held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in August 2010 to consider and prioritize CRVS as a regional policy agenda, and take steps to reform and improve CRVS systems in their countries to support the agenda of achieving viable, sustainable and efficient CRVS systems in Africa; They commended the CRVS Secretariat at UNECA on its current efforts in coordinating international and regional interventions by creating regional platforms such as the CRVS regional Core Group and stakeholders forum. They also commended and welcomed the contribution and participation of the Young African Statisticians (YAS) in the development of CRVS in Africa.In their recommendations, the ministers further called on the regional CRVS Secretariat of the Africa Programme on Accelerated Improvement of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (APAI-CRVS), the regional CRVS Core Group and other regional and international organizations to provide technical and financial support to countries in undertaking the assessment and planning processes. The Regional Core Group consists of African Development Bank, African Union Commission, UNICEF, UNFPA, WHO, UNHCR, Statistics South Africa (as the ASSD Secretariat), Plan International and INDEPTH Network and UNECA. To date, UNECA as CRVS Secretariat has made significant progress has been made in putting in place the relevant resources to provide the required support to countries. In May 2013, the Secretariat with the support of the Core Group conducted a rigorous training programme to develop a pool of CRVS experts selected from across Africa. YAS were part of this training. The training of experts was held for eleven days in Gaborone, Botswana. The training not only provided these experts with a rounded understanding of CRVS systems but further equipped them with the necessary tools and methodologies required to be used to support countries to undertake such assessments and develop country action plans.

 

3. Other statistical forumsA number of meetings on the continental statistical development agenda were held wherein YAS participated. These include the following:-
    
   • (APAI-CRVS Trainers’ Training held on 2-6 April 2012.CRVS experts training held in Botswana in 2013,
   • the 2^nd Conference of Ministers Responsible for Civil Registration held in Durban in 2012,
   • Involvement of cohorts of Young African Statisticians in Africa Symposia on Statistical Development annually,
   • World Statistics Congress held in Hong Kong in August 2013
   • CRVS Country Assessment in Botswana 23-25 October,
   • Further assessment workshop in Botswana, 01- 06 November 2013.
   • A visit to the Africa Centre by a Group of Young African Statisticians led by Statistics South Africa on 8 May 2012,
   • A visit to CRVS Data Collection Sites for CRVS exposure
     • Workshop on Assessment of 2010 Round of Population and Housing Censuses on 29 April – 1 May 2013 to initiate the preparations for the 2020 Round of PHCs and assess the 2010 Round in African countries
     • Meeting on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Indicators on 02-03 May 2013.