By JUDITH NAMUTOWE –
THE ineffective implementation of statistical issues in Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) has led to a situation where some member states move faster than others, Finance Permanent Secretary Felix Nkulukusa has said.
This further poses a challenge for regional statistics as analysis required a prerequisite harmonised statistical frameworks implemented in all member states.
“One of the challenges faced in regional integration programs is the level of implementation at member state. This has led to unbalanced field where some member states move faster than others,” he said.
Mr Nkulukusa said at the three-day sixth COMESA committee on statistical matters that at regional level, lack of implementation may be as a consequence of prioritisation or technical and financial constraints.
He said that economic statistics have been a matter of concern in recent years with criticisms on the quality and accuracy of numbers from statistical offices.
And COMESA assistant secretary general ambassador Kipyego Cheluget said the secretariat recognised the constraints member states faced in funding statistical programmes.
“To this end, your secretariat has with the assistance from the European Union (EU) developed mechanisms for assisting eligible member states to implement regional integration programmes that have been approved at council level,” Dr Cheluget said.
