National Strategy for the Development of

Statistics (NSDS): A Framework for Building

Statistical Capacity

Presented by Pali Lehohla, Statistician General,

South Africa

Prof. Ben Kiregyera

OECD World Forum, Istanbul, 29 June 2007

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About tracking progress towards MDGs & realization of national development agenda (PRSP)

““If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it”If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it” Monitoring requires:

• that we set:Base or benchmark year: For MDGs, it is 1990Target date: For MDGs, it is 2015

• A stream of quality & transparent data: in between the two dates, to measure and report on progress or lack of it

Reporting• national reports• regional reports• world report

These reports require good statistics

SCOPEI. Monitoring Progress

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“Statistics is not just a technical issue, it is also a development issue”

therefore

Data producers should strive to understand better national and international development agenda and

related issuesand

Data users should appreciate and talk more about statistics and use them for policy and decision-

making

in pursuit of development outcomes

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Data challenges become apparent when we try to

answer these questions:

• Are data available?

• If Yes, how often are they made available (frequency)

• How many years are data available? (trend)

• What disaggregations/classifications are being

used?

• Which agencies and what activities produce the

data?

II. Main data challenges for monitoring progress

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Many countries are trapped in a vicious circle of statistical under-development / under-performance: statistics are of

poor quality, and both the supply of and demand for statistics are low

Domestic under-funding

Conflicting donor agendas

Domestic under-funding

Conflicting donor agendas

• Lower demand

• Fewer resources

• Lower demand

• Fewer resources

• Limited:

institutional development

infrastructural development

under-performance i.e. limited outputs & services

(quality and quantity)

• Limited:

institutional development

infrastructural development

under-performance i.e. limited outputs & services

(quality and quantity)

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data availability (in many countries data not available on some indicators; for some indicators, lack of baseline data (1990 benchmark year for MDGs); in some countries, data collected intermittently; no data series to assist determine trends or measure progress over time; in some countries, basic data incomplete

data comparability (value of data enhanced if data can be compared between sources, over time & between locations; problems of comparing data over time and space especially on poverty in countries due to – changes in definitions across time and sources; lack of data for 1990, benchmark year or where available, difficult to compare with current data due to difference in concepts and methods in data collection

inconsistencies between national and international estimates, particularly on population statistics.

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Data disaggregation (needed to target interventions

and resources; need for population, sex, sector- specific & geographic disaggregation of poverty data

(problems with survey data)

Data periodicity and timeliness (large variation in frequency with which poverty data collected; need for annual calendar indicating when data for each indicator; need to align time lag and frequency; need to release data in timely manner

data quality (many indicators come from administrative sources; data quality from these sources often poor due to - lack of resources, limited human capacity, high staff turnover; in some countries, parallel reporting systems

in same ministries

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Better StatisticsRequire better planning of National Statistical System

(NSS)

National Strategy for the Development of Statistics

(NSDS)

III. National Strategy for the Development of Statistics (NSDS)

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Framework to strengthen statistical capacity Framework to strengthen statistical capacity across the entire National Statistical Systemacross the entire National Statistical System

A medium to long-term vision for SCB A medium to long-term vision for SCB

responding to key user needsresponding to key user needs

A robust, comprehensive and coherent A robust, comprehensive and coherent framework to:framework to:

integrate statistics within national integrate statistics within national policy processes policy processes address data limitationsaddress data limitations introduce modern management introduce modern management principlesprinciples prioritise the use of resourcesprioritise the use of resources manage change manage change

National strategy and plan of actions

A catalyst for change & building confidence

What is the National Strategy for the Development of Statistics (NSDS)?

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Importance of the NSDS process

process as important as the Strategy itself process should provide opportunity for:

statistical advocacy mainstreaming statistics in national development policies mainstreaming key stakeholders in process (political leadership, decision-makers & development partners)

“People support what they help to create”

empowerment of personnel (international standards, frameworks, other country experiences) broadening and deepening communication (between policy/decision-makers & data producers, among institutions & within institutions)

process should be participatory, inclusive & consensus- building

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New approach to NSDS design - Bottom-up approach

Successfully used in Uganda 2005/06

NSDS

SSP1 SSP2 NSO

Sector Statistical Plans

SSP3

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Labour

Education

Transport

etc

Agriculture

Health

NSO

Mainstreaming sectoral statistics in the NSDS

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1. WHERE ARE WE NOW?

Current situation

1. WHERE ARE WE NOW?

Current situation

2. WHERE DO WE WANT TO

BE?

Mission/vision

2. WHERE DO WE WANT TO

BE?

Mission/vision

3. HOW DO WE GET THERE?

Strategies/Actions

3. HOW DO WE GET THERE?

Strategies/Actions

4. HOW DO WE IMPROVE AND

MAINTAINSustainability

4. HOW DO WE IMPROVE AND

MAINTAINSustainability

Statistical

capacity

Steps in the design of the NSDS

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Better statistics needed to monitor progress There are many data challenges in developing

countries Need to design & implement NSDS to address

challenges

Process of designing NSDS important

Issues in the design process includes: familiarization with policy processes statistical advocacy mainstreaming sectoral statistics methodology

Assessing current situation Visioning and strategizing Action planning Monitoring and evaluation

IV. Conclusions

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Thank YouThank You