ECA beefs up African statistics systems
BUSINESS REPORTER
The UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) is helping Africa countries to modernise national statistics systems amid a huge demand for data.
The assistance comes as African countries were stretched by Covid-19 and could not carry out data collection and resources that were meant to beef up statistical offices were diverted to fight the pandemic.
This has left countries without credible statistics or some data missing.
A top UN official says the failure to provide credible statistics will result in investors coming up with their own data.
“This is why we end up paying much higher rates when we borrow outside because we are credible enough. The less transparent we are, the more we hurt ourselves. If you don’t have the numbers, you are not able to develop,” said Oliver Chinganya, director African Centre for Statistics.
He said Covid hit “us back tremendously” and “we are 10 years back” and finding ways of leapfrogging using latest methods.
Africa’s national statistical offices could not collect data during the Covid-19 era as they are still using traditional methods of data collection involving the movement of people.
Chinganya said ECA is working on the transformation and modernisation of national statistical systems in Africa.
He said three technical teams are working on the digitalisation and integration of data science initiatives with plans to use modern approaches to collect data.
Chinganya said the transformation also looks at changes in the way data is collected.
It also focuses on coordination of the national statistical system and statistical legislation (including administrative data systems and other sources.
The centre is modernising methods of data collection through digital censuses that has seen the development and deployment of IT applications that improve the quality, timeliness and efficiency of data production in 6 countries—Nigeria, Zambia, Mauritius, Togo, Liberia and Seychelles.
It is also supporting tablet sharing among African countries in four countries—Togo, Gambia, Sierra Leone and Burundi and census planning support in Somalia, among others.
