The Africa Live Database (LDB) is a user-friendly computer-based data tool that consists of: a) a Local Data Base--a tool for in-depth economic work
b) query-- a tool for storing and manipulating economic and sectoral variables
and c) Africa briefings-- presorted ready-to-use data. The system was developed by the Africa Region of the World Bank with two complementary goals in mind: 1) in the short term, to provide staff in the region with an efficient means of collecting, analyzing and manipulating economic and sectoral data
and 2) in the long term, to become the linchpin of a major effort for capacity building in African countries, aimed at upgrading local capacity in statistical data collection and analysis. This, combined with other initiatives, could then become a powerful tool for monitoring the impact of policy on development. The LDB responds to three sets of client needs: a) staff in the World Bank, b) users of statistical information in client countries, and c) other users of statistical information worldwide-- other donors, researchers, banks, etc.