The 2010 Assessing Progress toward the MDGs in Africa report is based on the latest updated and harmonized data from United Nations agencies and OECD statistics databases. UNSD is the official repository of data for assessing progress toward the MDGs. The main reason for using these international sources is that they collect and provide accurate and comparable data on MDG indicators across African countries. The irregularity of surveys/censuses, ages, definitions and methods of production of the indicators may explain the lag between the reporting year and the years of data, which vary from 2006 to 2008. Some of the indicators are new or have been modified since 2007. Some indicators, like CO2 emissions and ozone depletion in Goal 7, are not relevant or are not quite in line with national priorities. Therefore, some countries use proxies for such indicators which reflect the specificities of their own circumstances and which align more fully with their priorities. Several indicators are dependent on censuses/surveys carried out every 2 or 10 years, so that inter-survey and inter-census periods tend to lead to data gaps. The MDG data are compiled by the Inter-Agency and Expert Group (IAEG) on MDG indicators, with one or more UN agencies being responsible for indicators falling under their area of competency.

UN agencies compile, on a regular basis, data from countries using standardized questionnaires or other mechanisms agreed upon with the latter. Submitted questionnaires are then validated through a peer review process based on their data collection and processing methodology. They provide estimates, take the responsibility for filling data gaps by estimating missing values, and make adjustments if need be, to ensure global comparability across countries. The OECD also collects data specifically to track aid flows, based on a standard methodology and agreed definitions to ensure comparability of data across donors and recipients. As far as the production of MDG reports at the continental level is concerned, these UN agencies and the OECD provide adequate harmonized and comparable sources of data. However, some countries’ official data on particular MDGs were used in this report to better indicate the performances of those countries on those indicators.

MDG data have not always been available on time at the national level. If they exist, they have been subject to problems of inconsistency with international standards. Moreover, data transmission to and estimates made by international agencies – together with the fact that countries do not produce data on MDGs annually – constitute another layer of problems contributing to the observed data gaps. Over the last few years, there have been commendable steps taken by African countries, with the support of international organizations, to obtain data for tracking progress on the MDGs. However, a number of challenges persist relating to the production of data in Africa. The low profile of statistics on the continent is due to a number of obstacles, including: inadequate resources allocated to statistical activities; the lack of institutional capacity; inadequate coordination of statistical activities; and minimal consideration of African specificities in setting up international standards. The African Statistics System (ASS) is therefore expected to further scale up its efforts toward continental statistical integration to address a continent-wide need for harmonized and quality.