Framework for setting goals and
actions to reach goals
Seminar on the implementation of the
System of National Accounts 2008 in Africa
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 11 to 15 April 2011
Herman Smith
UNSD/DESA
Outline of presentation

Introduction

Strategic planning framework

Vision document
Statement of strategy

Development of an economic statistics programme
for compiling the required scope and detail of the
National Accounts to inform policy makers
◦ National policy development plans, NSDS, etc
◦ Regional strategic frameworks for statistical capacity
building (RRSF, ASCC, AStCom, AchartStats, SHaSA)
Typical strategic planning framework

Mandate,
◦ Underpinned by
 Legal mandate (Statistical act)
 International standards

Mission

Values

High-level goals

Specific goals

Required activities
Strategic planning frame work

Mandate, underpinned by
◦ Legal mandate (Statistical act)
◦ International standards






UN Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics
2008 SNA
BPM6
GFSM
ISIC rev4
Mission
◦ Compile national accounts according to milestone
two of the SNA implementation, comprising the
minimum required data set
Strategic planning frame work

Values
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
Statistical professionalism
Independence and integrity
Excellent service to our customers
Respect and understanding for our data suppliers
Value for money

High level goals – Strategic lines

Specific goals – Strategic objectives/actions

Required activities
High level goals – Strategic lines
1: Equipping African countries with an SNA that is
appropriate to their socio-economic realities
Develop a description of the sources and methods based on the
2008 SNA that are relevant for the country
2: Strengthening ICP-Africa assets in the field of
national accounts
Develop sources and methods that are relevant for the ICP
programme
High level goals – Strategic lines
3: Preparing an optimal and efficient operational
system of production and diffusion of national
accounts
Timeliness,
Periodicity,
Revision cycle
Scope
Detail
4: Building capacity and sustainability of national
accounts production and analysis
National accounts production and training capacity building
High level goals – Strategic lines
5: Increasing the availability and improving the quality
of the basic data required for the compilation of
national accounts, based on the National Strategy for
the development of statistics (NSDS)
Development of source data –
Business registers and frames
Surveys
Administrative data
International statistical standards (BPM6, ISICr4, GFS etc.)
6: Increasing human, material and financial resources
Institutional capacity building
High level goals – Strategic lines
7: Undertake advocacy at all decision making levels
Communicate the use of national accounts in policy making
Monitoring and Reporting
 Communication
and dissemination of the national
accounts to users
Developing specific goals

Assessment of the NSS to support national
accounts compilation - Where are we now
◦ Using the Diagnostic tool

Develop a vision for improving the availability and
quality of the economic statistics required for the
compilation of national accounts
Vision document

cont
Discuss vision preferably in a national
seminar with all stakeholders, such as:
◦ policy planners;
◦ users including the academia; and
◦ business community.
Vision document cont

Such a discussion is expected to help the NSO
to:
◦ prioritize actions to mitigate the problem areas
◦ write a plan for the improvement of the supporting
statistics for the compilation of the national
accounts
◦ develops an information structure for planning,
monitoring and evaluating the implementation of
the SNA; and
◦ builds on the joint efforts of the ISWGNA and AGNA
to establish an information structure for managing
technical assistance operations
Setting of goals - Where we want to be

Scope and detail of the national accounts

Frequency of aggregates – nominal and volumes

2008 SNA compliance

ISIC ref 4 compliance

Requirements from the African strategy

Required data sources – Needs

Current data sources and compilation methods –
What you have
Objectives and actions of the African strategy that
are of particular importance at the national level




1.1.3. Inventory of sources of information and questionnaires
(collection tools) required by the 2008 – Diagnostic tool
2.1.1. Integration of the GDP breakdown (for ICP) into the
2008 SNA national accounts routine work – ICP
3.1: Preparing national accounts in accordance with an
timeline that respects the national, sub regional and
international requirements – MRDS (timeliness and
periodicity)
3.2.2. Establishing tables to be elaborated and published by
group of countries – MRDS (scope and detail)
Links to the African strategy






cont
4.1.1. Utilization of modern and country adapted IT tools
5.1.1. Evaluation of data sources required for the elaboration of the
2008 System of national accounts – Diagnostic tool
5.1.2. Development of statistical surveys required for improvement
of national accounts – determined by Diagnostic tool
5.2.1. Making an inventory of administrative data sources required
for national accounts compilation – Diagnostic tool
5.3: Implementing international statistical systems (balance of
payments, budget statistics, financial statistics, etc) for the
improvement of national accounts – BPM6, GFSM IRIS, IRDTS
5.4: Adapting international classifications to African socioeconomic realities – ISIC rev 4
Vision document
Setting of goals - Where we want to be
Frequency
M
Q
A
2008
SNA
Required
sources
Data item
N V N V N V
Nominal
Volu
mes
National accounts
aggregates to comply to
Milestone 2 - MRDS
Set of short term
indicators
Blue – Goals
Green – needs
Red – current status
Principal data
sources and
compilation
methods
Nomi
nal
Volumes
Vision document
Setting of goals - Where we want to be
Frequency
M
Q
A
2008
SNA
Required
sources
Data item
N V N V N V
National accounts
aggregates to comply to
Milestone 2 - MRDS
Set of short term
indicators
Nominal
Volu
mes
Principal data
sources and
compilation
methods
Nomi
nal
Volumes
2008 SNA
Required sources
Data item
Nominal
Volumes
Household income
and expenditure
surveys, retail
trade sales by type
of expenditure
items
Housing stock
Price indices or
volume series by
type of expenditure
items
Final consumption
expenditure
Household final
consumption
expenditure
FISIM
allocated to
users,
Imputed rents
Goods that are
produced by
households for
own final
consumption
2008 SNA
Required sources
Data item
General government
final consumption
expenditure
Government final
consumption
expenditure broken
down into individual
and collective
consumption
Individual consumption
expenditure
The entire defence
expenditure incurred by
Collective consumption government included in
the GCF
expenditure
FISIM allocated to
users
Nominal
Volumes
GFS data by
level of
government
Consumption of
fixed capital of
government
fixed assets
Price indices
or volume
series by type
of expenditure
items
Gross
fixed
capital
format
ion
The entire defence expenditure incurred by
government included in the GCF
Consumption of fixed capital measured on
all government fixed assets (airfields,
roads, hospitals, docks, dams and
breakwaters and other forms of
construction structures) including military
weapon systems
The expenditure on Research and
Development included in GCF
Purchases of computer software expected
to be used for more than a year included in
GCF
Expenditure on software development on
own account expected to be used for more
than a year and for sale included in GCF
The expenditure on all databases expected
to be used for more than a year, whether
purchased on the market or developed inhouse, included in the GCF
Expenditure on entertainment, literary or
artistic originals included in the GCF
Information by
type of asset
from:
Household
income and
expenditure
surveys capturing
own construction
expenditure
Economic activity
surveys
(structural
business statistics
and short term
business
statistics)
GFS data by level
of government
Price
indices or
volume
series by
type of
asset
Vision document
Setting of goals - Where we want to be
Frequency
M
Q
A
2008
SNA
Required
sources
Data item
N V N V N V
National accounts
aggregates to comply to
Milestone 2 - MRDS
Set of short term
indicators
Nominal
Volu
mes
Principal data
sources and
compilation
methods
Nomi
nal
Volumes
Sector
Subsector
Annual estimates
Quarterly
estimates
Constantprice
estimates
Final
consumption
expenditure
by
households
By purpose
and Durable,
semi-durable
and nondurable
goods: and
services
Food
beverages
and
tobacco:
All
component
s
Benchmark year:
Estimated by the fiveyearly survey of income
and expenditure of
households, survey of
retail sales, verified by the
supply and use
framework. Estimates
include farm produce
consumed by farmers for
own account. Other
years: Estimated
according to monthly
surveys of retail trade
sales by Stats SA.
Information
obtained from
the National
Department of
Agriculture,
retail trade
sales by Stats
SA and
relevant
sources.
Nominal
expenditure
is divided
by relevant
components
of the CPI.
Sector
Manufactu
ring
Subse Annual estimates
ctor
Benchmark year:
Periodic large sample
surveys and AFSs of
manufacturing
conducted by Stats SA.
Other years: AFSs and
monthly data on
production and sales,
and quarterly surveys
of financial and labour
statistics conducted by
Stats SA, supplemented
by sample surveys
conducted by the
SARB.
Quarterly
estimates
Constant-price estimates
Same as for
annual
estimates for
other years.
Base-year estimates are
extrapolated using
appropriate indices of
output quantities based
on manufacturing sales
at constant prices for the
various subsectors of
manufacturing.










Coordination of NSS
2008 SNA compliance
ISIC rev 4 compliance
Monthly Price statistics
Monthly and quarterly production and turnover
surveys
Business registers
Economic activity surveys (structural business
statistics and short term business statistics)
Household income and expenditure surveys
Informal sector surveys
etc.
Action plan – How to get there

Diagnostic tool reveals data gaps

Vision document specify the goals and needs


Action plan indicates the required actions with a
time table to mitigate data gaps
This action plan represents an implementation
programme for strengthening the economic
statistics for the compilation of the required scope
and detail of the national accounts
National statement of
strategy
Assessment
Assessment of the NSS to
support national accounts
compilation
Decide on the scope
and detail of national
accounts
compilation
Where are we now
Vision
COUNTRY
OWNERSHIP
National policy
development
plans, NSDS,
etc.
Regional strategic
frameworks for
statistical capacity
building
RRSF, ASCC, AStCom,
AchartStats, SHaSA
Setting of goals
Where we want to
be
Support from the
regional and global
SNA implementation
programme
Political
Commitment
Statistical
capacity
Action Plan
Actions to
reach goals
How to get
there
Implementation
How to stay
there
Thank You