FAO Concludes the Final Conference of the GSARS Phase II: Celebrating Progress and Shaping the Future of Agricultural Statistics in Africa

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) proudly announces the successful conclusion of the GSARS II Final Conference, held from June 11 to 12, 2024, in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. Over 80 participants from partner institutions, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), and beneficiary countries attended. This significant conference marked the finalization of the second phase of the Global Strategy to Improve Agricultural and Rural Statistics (GSARS II), celebrating the years of dedicated efforts in enhancing the capacities of national agricultural statistical systems across 27 participating countries in Africa. 

 The conference, organized with the support of implementing partner UNECA, began with a welcome note from FAO Representative of Côte d’Ivoire, Attaher Maiga. Keynote speeches were then delivered by José Rosero Moncayo, Chief Statistician, and Philippe Poinsot, UN Resident Coordinator in Côte d’Ivoire. The opening ceremony concluded with an official address by H.E. Kobenan Kouassi Adjoumani, Minister of State, Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development, and Food Production, Côte d'Ivoire, who officially opened the conference.  

These opening remarks highlighted the critical role of accurate agricultural and rural statistics in policy formulation and decision-making, emphasizing the importance of sustained capacity-building activities in Africa.  

The conference provided a platform for reflection, knowledge sharing, celebrating the achievements gained over the past three years, and discussing the next steps for the future. Key topics included the advancements made through statistical capacity building, the benefits of specialized education in agricultural statistics, the impact of technical assistance on country capacities, the need for quality agricultural data for CAADP reporting, and sustainability of the project. 

Key Sessions and Discussions 

• Advancing Forward: Three More Years of Statistical Capacity Building 

Chaired by Naman Keita, Senior Statistician, this session focused on the progress made during the additional three years of GSARS II implementation. Presentations from the three implementing partners, FAO, UNECA, and PARIS21, which highlighted the program’s achievements, including training over 2,500 national staff and implementing the Scholarship program. 

• Sustainable Progress: Empowering Future Leaders Through Education 

Chaired by Tinfissi-Joseph Ilboudo (UNECA), this session showcased the benefits of specialized education in agricultural statistics. Scholars Minata Kiemtore (Burkina Faso) and Brenda Nakamba (Zambia) shared their personal experiences, highlighting how the program significantly enhanced their professional skills and contributed to the development of agricultural statistics in their respective countries. They emphasized the importance of mentorship and ongoing professional development, noting that the knowledge and skills gained through the program have been instrumental in addressing local agricultural challenges and improving data accuracy and analysis underscoring the long-term impact of investing in education for sustainable progress in agricultural statistics. 

• The Transformative Impact of Technical Assistance on Country Capacities 

Chaired by Albert Ouattara, Director of the Statistics, Documentation, and IT Department at the Ministry of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development, and Food Production in Côte d'Ivoire, this session featured presentations by Marie Vander Donckt (FAO), Eric Kabore (Burkina Faso), Joceline Solonitompoarinony (Madagascar), Momodu Kamara (Sierra Leone), and Alexandre Biaou (Benin). They highlighted the tangible outcomes of FAO’s technical assistance, including improved national agricultural statistical systems and enhanced data dissemination practices. 

Marie Vander Donckt emphasized how FAO's efforts led to better data accuracy and advanced methodologies. Eric Kabore discussed improvements in Burkina Faso, focusing on agricultural loss estimation and data communication. Joceline Solonitompoarinony shared Madagascar's progress in training and coordination. Momodu Kamara illustrated Sierra Leone's enhanced statistics and governance, while Alexandre Biaou highlighted Benin's advancements in analytical notes and open data formats. These presentations underscored the critical role of FAO's assistance in strengthening statistical capacities and supporting agricultural development. 

• Africa’s Policy Framework for Agricultural Transformation (CAADP) 

Chaired by Dramane Bako (FAO), this session highlighted the need for quality agricultural data for CAADP reporting. Presentations by Lao Kenao (AUC), Ngawo Banda (COMESA), and Aliyu Umar Ibrahim (ECOWAS), along with country experiences from Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Zimbabwe, emphasized the importance of data collection and capacity-building efforts. 

• The Way Forward: A Glimpse at the Next Phase for GSARS 

Chaired by José Rosero Moncayo, Chief Statistician at FAO, this session explored the vision for the third phase of GSARS, presented by Neli Georgieva, Senior Statistician, Programme Coordinator GSARSII, FAO. Following this, a panel discussion featured Vasco Molini (World Bank), Oliver Chinganya (UNECA), and Philippe Gafishi (PARIS21). They discussed the catalytic role of GSARS in achieving regional goals, emphasizing the need for continued support and innovation in agricultural statistics. 

Oliver Chinganya highlighted the importance of training more statisticians and modernizing national statistical systems. Vasco Molini stressed the benefits of a unified strategy among FAO, the World Bank, and IFAD, while Philippe Gafishi emphasized linking statistics to development strategies and ensuring sustainable data production.  

Closing Remarks and Future Directions 

The conference concluded with closing remarks by José Rosero Moncayo, Chief Statistician, FAO, who emphasized the importance of sustained efforts and cooperation in enhancing agricultural and rural statistics. He thanked all participants for their contributions and looked forward to continued collaboration in the upcoming phase of GSARS. 

The Global Strategy extends its gratitude to the donors, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the European Union, and the implementing partners, PARIS21 and UNECA, as well as our three statistical training centers: ENSEA, ENSAE, and EASTC, and the FAO country offices, for their invaluable support. The success of GSARS would not have been possible without them. While significant progress has been made, there is still much to be done, and more capacity-building efforts are needed. The Global Strategy looks forward to more success with a third phase in the future.