• The project promotes capacity building in macro-economic and financial statistics (executed by the IMF) and in socio-demographic statistics (executed by the the World Bank).
• The project uses a modular approach. It is designed to achieve agreed results in some 14-16 pre-defined areas of statistics. Participating counties have been invited to participate in four modules each, two from the Fund and two from the Bank.
• Each module brings together an average of five counties to exchange experience among each other and to receive intensive technical assistance in the subject area.
• Each module starts with an opening workshop for about three participants from each country, usually two compilers and the manager who is responsible for the dissemination of the data.
• Specific results are agreed for each country and documented in a work plan during the opening workshop.
• Each country can call on about three expert visits over the project period to help advance the work program. The module concludes with a final workshop, in which results are reviewed.

Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu committed to the GDDS project in 2002. In November 2003 Samoa became the ninth Pacific Island country to join the project. Since the GDDS launch in November 2002, the PFTAC statistics advisor, in consultation with the GDDS Unit of the Fund’s Statistics Department, has been working with a group of peripatetic statistical experts to assist participating countries to prepare their GDDS metadata and implement improvement plans for the production of official statistics. Metadata for three countries have been posted on the IMF website, and metadata for a further five countries are at an advanced stage. During the past 18 months the GDDS project has financed a range of technical and other assistance for member countries, resulting in improvements to national accounts (Palau), balance of payments (Cook Islands, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu), and government finance statistics (Fiji and Vanuatu). General reviews of statistical systems and action plans have also been prepared for four countries. full details

On May 29, 2003 the IMF's Regional Technical Assistance Center for West Africa (West AFRITAC) opened in Bamako. In addition to covering the eight members of the WAEMU, it covers Guinea and Mauritania as well. It has also taken over project activities on government finance statistics (GFS) and is directly assisting countries in this area.

In April 2004, the AFRISTAT/IMF partnership for the implementation of the GDDS was expanded to cover Guinea and Mauritania, and the agreement was extended from six months to one year, making it possible to consider more gradual and sustained activities. AFRISTAT continues to provide assistance to the eight original members of the WAEMU for the real sector statistics component of the project.

Close cooperation developed between AFRISTAT and West AFRITAC, facilitated by their location in Bamako and by the fact that, for purposes of this project, their geographic spheres of operation were identical. Each institution is now represented on the decision-making body of the other, i.e., the Steering Committee for West AFRITAC and the Comité de Direction for AFRISTAT. These ties have ensured enhanced synergies in the activities undertaken, optimal use of the greater resources available in the two institutions and from other donors, and more effective consideration of countries' needs in the context of the GDDS project. This cooperation has also been extended to other regional institutions, particularly the WAEMU Commission.   full details