1.   Round of Population and Housing Censuses Journey

The inaugural objective of the Africa Symposium on Statistical Development (ASSD) was to strengthen collaboration in the mobilisation of African countries to conduct population censuses in the 2010 Round of Population and Housing Censuses (RPHCs). The first six ASSDs, focusing on the 2010 RPHCs for the period 2006–2010, were as follows:

• 1^st ASSD, CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA, 2006: “The 2010 Round of Population and Housing Censuses”
• 2^nd ASSD, KIGALI, RWANDA, 2007: “Towards a Complete Enumeration of the African Population during the 2010 Round of Population and Housing Censuses”
• 3^rd ASSD, ACCRA, GHANA, 2008: “Best Practice and Exchanging Experience: Africa 2010 Round of Population and Housing Censuses”
• 4^TH ASSD, LUANDA, ANGOLA, 2009: “Data Processing and Use of Census Data: The 2010 Round of Population and Housing Censuses”
• 5^th ASSD, DAKAR, SENEGAL, 2009: “Information and Communication Technology in Data Dissemination: Bringing Suppliers and Users Closer in the 2010 Round of Population and Housing Censuses”
• 6^TH ASSD, CAIRO, EGYPT, 2010: “Data Analysis and Use in the 2010 Round of Population and Housing Censuses”

2.   Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Journey

Realising that the inaugural mandate of the ASSD had almost been accomplished, with over 20 countries having already undertaken a census and most of the remaining ones having made concrete commitments to do so, the Heads of National Statistics Offices adopted a resolution at the 6^th ASSD held in Cairo, Egypt to change gears and shift focus from RPHCs to address the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics problem bedevilling the continent, as per a call for action by the Ministers responsible for civil registration in Africa. It was then decided that the 7^th to the 11^th ASSD will focus on CRVS under the following proposed themes:

• 2011: Improving CRVS institutional and human infrastructure in Africa
• 2012: Standardisation of Causes of Death Classification and Statistics in Africa
• 2013: Promoting Use of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in Support of Advancing Good Governance in Africa
• 2014: Evaluating the application of UN Principles and Recommendations on CRVS in the African region
• 2015: Promoting the use of Information Technology solutions in improving CRVS IN Africa

To this effect, the 7^th ASSD, 8th and 9^th ASSD were hosted as follows:

• 7^TH ASSD, CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA, 2012: “Africa Programme on Accelerated Improvement of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Systems: Improving Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Institutional and Human Infrastructure in Africa”
• 8^th ASSD, YAMOUSSOUKRO, COTE D’IVOIRE, 2012: “Standardisation of causes of death classification and statistics in Africa”
• ·        9^th ASSD, GABORONE, BOTSWANA, 2014, “Promoting Use of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in Support of Good Governance”.

The 10^th ASSD will be hosted in Kampala. Uganda, on 13-15 January 2015 under the theme:-

“A decade of statistical development: Revolutionising Censuses and Civil Registration and Vital Statistics towards Africa Agenda 2063.”