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<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:"AGaramondPro-Regular",serif">African countries pledged to achieve sustainable development and inclusive growth for all following the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
 and the Agenda 2063.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:"AGaramondPro-Regular",serif">The need for timely and quality data to inform the two agendas exerts pressure on the national statistical systems more than ever before. While much progress
 has been made in past decades to<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:"AGaramondPro-Regular",serif">strengthen national statistical systems for evidence- based decision making, countries still face challenges in many areas. The data required for monitoring
 progress toward the ambitious and<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:"AGaramondPro-Regular",serif">aspirational global and continental development agendas is unprecedented both in scope and granularity with which the data should be collected.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:"AGaramondPro-Regular",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:"AGaramondPro-Regular",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><a href="http://"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="211" height="73" id="_x0000_i1025" src="cid:image001.jpg@01D2C43A.F867B8A0"></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Meiring Naude Road</span><span style="font-size:7.5pt"><br>
</span><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Brummeria</span><span style="font-size:7.5pt"><br>
</span><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">PO Box 2600</span><span style="font-size:7.5pt"><br>
</span><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Pretoria, 0001</span><span style="font-size:7.5pt"><br>
</span><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">South Africa</span><span style="font-size:7.5pt"><br>
</span><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><a href="http://www.nrf.ac.za/">http://www.nrf.ac.za</a></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Lazarus Matizirofa</span></b><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br>
Acting Executive Director<br>
Knowledge Management Corporate (KMC)<br>
Tel: +27 12 481 4016<br>
Email: <a href="mailto:lazarus.matizirofa@nrf.ac.za">lazarus.matizirofa@nrf.ac.za</a></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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