The ASPA will be implemented essentially by permanent AFRISTAT experts in partnership with NSS, sub-regional economic integration institutions and technical and financial partners. Consultants will also be hired to back up the team of experts.

6.2.1  AFRISTAT staff

The recent revision of expert staff rules will enter into force during the period 2006-2010. Pursuant to this reform, experts are classified into three categories:

• senior expert: he/she will be responsible for technical coordination, analysis and coordination of applied research. He/she may also provide direct support to States;
• expert : he/she provides direct technical support to the Member States, he/she may work under the authority of the senior expert;
• junior expert: under the authority of an expert or a senior expert, he performs a number of activities assigned to him/her.

This distinction enhances the duties of each expert and ensures better utilization of skills. Given the expanding activities of AFRISTAT, it is indispensable to make such a classification for sound guidance of young staff and better coordination and management of activities. Indeed, recent experience justifies such a provision especially considering the expansion of even more complex activities. Moreover, there is a growing need to hire young experts to perform some activities and tap from the untapped potentials they may have.

The following table shows projections of staff on the AFRISTAT payroll for the period 2006-2010.

Table 2 : AFRISTAT staff projections for the next five years

6.2.2   Partnership

The ASPA also seeks to boost partnership with sub-regional integration institutions with a view to fostering the harmonization of data processing and analysis methods which is necessary for their convergence policies, as well as for international organisations and national bodies of countries striving for the improvement of information systems in the sub-region.

Alongside sub-regional economic integration communities (ECOWAS, ECCAS, CEMAC and WAEMU1) and central banks of the States concerned, AFRISTAT will establish working relations in respect of harmonization of methods and concepts and provide the requisite technical support in their statistical work. Enhanced partnership is however tied to the principle of subsidiarity, that is, defining the respective roles of AFRISTAT and sub-regional partners.

Technical partnerships will be initiated with international organisations and national bodies of other countries to draw on their experience and expertise as well as share all activities conducted by AFRISTAT. During the period 2006-2010, AFRISTAT will embark on establishing or strengthening working relations with the World Bank, IMF, AfDB, WHO, UNICEF, UNESCO, FAO, UNPFA, UNDP, technical departments of the United Nations Secretariat General, ECA, ACBF, etc.

More specifically, with the support of INSEE, AFD, EUROSTAT and AfDB, AFRISTAT will continue working toward harmonized methods in view of reforming the system of national accounts using the ERETES system. Furthermore, AFRISTAT and the French IRD have formalized and strengthened their longstanding collaboration2 , by creating an applied research centre in AFRISTAT, which will require basket funding. The duties of the centre will be cross-cutting: survey methodology, household survey analysis (especially the informal sector component on implemented or ongoing survey programmes), training and capacity building, sharing and showcasing of findings.

On another stage, AFRISTAT will continue to mobilize funding for its activities from other donors outside its traditional partners.

6.2.3   National statistical systems

NSS are the main beneficiaries of AFRISTAT’s activities. In this capacity, they should contribute to the formulation of their annual action plans. Under this role, they are privileged partners as they are the focus of its work.

1  ECOWAS: Economic Community of West African States (Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and WAEMU countries). EECAS: Economic Community of Central African States (Burundi, Congo-Kinshasa, Sao Tome and Principe and CEMAC countries). CEMAC: Central African Economic and Monetary Community (Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon). WAEMU: West African Economic and Monetary Union (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo).

2 This collaboration involves DIAL and AFRISTAT.