Proposal Description

The main purpose of the session is to advertise the opportunities provided by the Irving Fisher Committee on Central Bank Statistics (IFC) to support statistical cooperation in the African region. The IFC is a global network of central bank statisticians, economists and policymakers who discuss statistical and data issues of interest to central banks and develop related methodological work. IFC institutional members comprise central banks and international and regional organisations formally involved in central banking issues. The Committee, set up under the BIS umbrella now represent 110 jurisdictions, including 14 in Africa.
An important raison d’être for the IFC is to provide opportunities for its members to network and exchange experience, through different ways: organisation of meetings to present case studies and analyse best practices; set up of surveys on specific issues of interest to central banks’ statisticians; dedicated publications; and provision of statistical resources. These activities have led the IFC to develop statistical and data management guidance for the benefit of central banks and the public at large. Moreover, the Committee has set up a dedicated access-restricted platform on statistical methodological issues to support the development of in-house central banks’ statistical expertise. Lastly, the IFC has promoted various initiatives to foster general statistical and economic literacy.

Topics to explore:
• Fostering cooperation among African central banks in statistics and data management issues.
• Ensuring the insertion of African priorities in the international statistical agenda.
• Ways for enhancing knowledge sharing and cooperation in Africa.
• Role of new data standards eg SDMX especially in the new AI/ big data information era.