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Cape Town, South Africa

January 22, 2012 by · Comments Off on Cape Town, South Africa 

Cape Town, South Africa, Determined to make statistics central to development on the continent, all African countries apart from Somalia have committed to conduct censuses during the 2010 round of population and housing census (RPHC).

The countries that participated in the 7th Africa Symposium on Statistical Development (ASSD) in Cape Town, South Africa from January 18 to 20, 2012 have so far made positive progress towards the 2010 RPHC, however, the challenges facing African countries in conflict were noted. These countries, the meeting indicated as a result of conflicts are also unable to disseminate statistics related information.

In a resolution which was amended and passed, the meeting acknowledging the contributions of young statisticians on the continent among others, also accepted that civil registeration services are fundamental to good governance and basic service delivery.

In an exclusive interview with ghanabusinessnews.com, Mr. Dimitri Sanga, Director of the Africa Centre for Statistics (ACS) expressed optimism that when African Ministers in charge of civil registeration meet in Cape Town in September 2012, they will endorse the resolutions passed by the continent’s statisticians.

” The resolution gave the needed institutional framework and technical work that has to be done. So that if they take the right decisions based on the resolution that was passed, we think that this will move the agenda forward,” he said.

The delegates also called upon African Ministers responsible for Civil Registeration to give priority to mobilising Africa to improve Civil Registeration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) systems.

“As opposed to any other statistics activities, civil registeration is about every citizen of every country. It’s about human rights, it’s about women’s rights, it’s about ensuring that armed groups don’t enrol young children, it’s about ensuring that young ladies don’t get into early marriages. It’s about basic human rights,” he added.

He urged commitment, indicating that the countries are the ultimate beneficiaries of the system.
“Whatever we do, will need that political back-up to succeed. That’s what will bring the needed resources to setup this system s so that people will benefit from this system,” Mr. Sanga reiterated.

The meeting in resolving to improve on statistics also took note of the challenges facing National Statistics Offices in providing reliable, timely and continuous data on demographic and health variables and in preparation of population estimates and projections that can be used with full confidence in monitoring national development efforts, including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

In its recommendations, the meeting urged governments to improve the availability and accessibility of civil registeration services by devolving civil registeration structures and service points down to the lowest administrative unit and as far as possible to all families and communities.

Cape Town South Africa

January 19, 2012 by · Comments Off on Cape Town South Africa 

Cape Town South Africa, Cape Town (Afrikaans: Kaapstad; Xhosa: iKapa) is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality. The city is famous for its harbour as well as its natural setting in the Cape floral kingdom, including such well-known landmarks as Table Mountain and Cape Point. Cape Town is also Africa’s most popular tourist destination.

Located on the shore of Table Bay, Cape Town was originally developed by the Dutch East India Company as a victualling (supply) station for Dutch ships sailing to Eastern Africa, India, and the Far East. Jan van Riebeeck’s arrival on 6 April 1652 established the first permanent European settlement in South Africa. Cape Town quickly outgrew its original purpose as the first European outpost at the Castle of Good Hope, becoming the economic and cultural hub of the Cape Colony. Until the Witwatersrand Gold Rush and the development of Johannesburg, Cape Town was the largest city in South Africa.

Today it is one of the most multicultural cities in the world, reflecting its role as a major destination for immigrants and expatriates to South Africa. As of 2007[update] the city had an estimated population of 3.5 million. Cape Town’s land area of 2,455 square kilometres (948 sq mi) is larger than other South African cities, resulting in a comparatively lower population density of 1,425 inhabitants per square kilometre (3,690 /sq mi).

The city was named the World Design Capital for 2014 by the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design.

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