OREANDA-NEWS. A mission of the International Monetary Fund visited Lusaka during April 4–8, 2016, to assist the authorities with the implementation of the Enhanced General Data Dissemination System (e-GDDS), which was endorsed by the Executive Board in May 2015. The mission supported the development of the National Summary Data Page (NSDP), which will be posted on the Central Statistical Office website, utilizing the Statistical Data and Metadata Exchange (SDMX). The page aims to serve as a one-stop publication vehicle for essential macroeconomic data. This places Zambia in the first wave of countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to implement the recommendations of the e-GDDS.

Publication of essential macroeconomic data through the new NSDP will provide national policy makers and domestic and international stakeholders, including investors and rating agencies, with easy access to information that the IMF’s Executive Board has identified as critical for monitoring economic conditions and policies. Making this information easily accessible in both human and machine-readable formats, and according to an Advance Release Calendar, will allow all users to have simultaneous access to timely data and will bring greater data transparency.

The authorities are encouraged by the notable progress that Zambia has made to achieve this important statistical milestone. The NSDP will give users access to full information about Zambia’s essential macroeconomic data by June 8, 2016.