Over the last several years, the AfDB has steadily intensified its statistical capacity building activities in African countries motivated by the need for reliable and up-to-date data for better measuring, monitoring and managing for development results. Its activities have, so far, focused on improving the availability and quality of data and on strengthening the institutional capacity of African countries with a view to producing these data. These efforts were further bolstered in September 2004, following the approval of a grant of UA 14.75 million, equivalent to US$ 22 million, by the African Development Fund (ADF) board of directors to support the Bank’s program to strengthen statistical capacity in African countries within the context of the International Comparison Program for Africa (ICP-Africa). The program aims at strengthening statistical capacity on the continent in order to meet urgent demand for reliable and timely data to support the monitoring of progress on the MDGs, poverty reduction strategies, the NEPAD initiative and the results agenda for development effectiveness.

Similarly, ESTA also develops and manages databases on economic, social and development cooperation statistics in Africa in collaboration with the Bank’s regional member countries as well as regional and international agencies such as the ECA, the IMF, the OECD, the UN, and the World Bank. This makes the AfDB the primary source of relevant, reliable and timely data on African development processes, starting with the data generated from its current management of the Africa component of the International Comparison Program (ICP-Africa).