FAO/PARIS21 REGIONAL WORKSHOP ON THE INTEGRATION OF AND ACCESS TO AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS FOR

BETTER FORMULATION AND MONITORING OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT POLICIES

Algers, Algeria 8-9 December 2007

Back-to-back with the 20th AFCAS

AW-07-01-1

Mainstreaming Sector Statistics in the National Statistical System

By Mrs Norah Madaya, UBOS

Challenges facing African countries

PovertyEnvironment and natural resource degradation Poor governanceInadequate Policy formulation and monitoring to inform PRSs & MDGsRegional integrationHIV/AIDS threat Gender inequalityEtc.

..statistical challenges

The new source of power is not money in the hands of a few,

but information (good quality

information) in the hands of many.

-- Megatrends, 2000

Data demandData demand

• Macro economic framework

• Social policies and programmes

• Poverty Reduction Strategies

• Governance and Democracy

• Millennium Development Goals

• Management for Development Results

• New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) etc

Data Supply

• The National Statistical System“Includes all agencies, whether Government or

not; under any enactment or otherwise;

responsible for gathering statistical data

through either surveys or administrative

action”

(Uganda Bureau of Statistics Act, 1998)

The NSS…

Should have;

– a relatively uniform capacity for generation and use of statistics in its constituent parts,

– effective coordination and collaboration mechanisms between & within sectors

– standards and shared values for data production and use

– Harmonised data production and dissemination processes

Status of statistics & Systems in Africa

• Weaknesses in statistical capacity• Inadequate links of statistical systems to policy • Data gaps on some key demographic, socio-

economic and environmental indicators• Unreliability of some existing data • Inadequate use of existing data • Unsustainability of statistical development • Duplication of effort• Incomparable indicators/statistics• Limited coordination & inter sectoral links• Etc.

Partially coordinated statistical system

Labour

Education

Culture

etc

Agriculture

Health

NSO

Current Status of some NSS

National Strategies for

the Development of Statistics (NSDS)

Marrakech Action Plan for Statistics aim:

“to mainstream strategic planning of statistical systems and prepare national strategies for the development of statistics (NSDSs) for all low-income countries by 2006.”

NSDS for What?

A vehicle for streamlining statistical A vehicle for streamlining statistical production and developmentproduction and development

Strategic Plan 5 W’s + H

What , Why, Who, When, Where + How?

Future & Mechanisms

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

• It is a robust, comprehensive and coherent

framework to:

• address data limitations

• prioritise the use of resources

• integrate statistics within national policy processes• manage change • envision how statistical capacity building responds to key user needs

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

The NSDS Process • Well-planned and highly consultative • Consideration for legal, institutional and

organisational constraints• Assessment/Diagnosis of existing statistical

production environment • Builds on what already exists and is in

progress, e.g. GDDS, DQAF- improvement programmes

• Consideration for user needs but realistic about resources

• Country ownership with high level political support and leadership

…NSDS Process

• Linked to development and national poverty reduction policies and strategies (such as the PRSP) as PEAP-Uganda, Mukukuta-Tanzania, PARPA-Mozambique etc.

• Takes into account all sub-national, national, sub-regional, regional, and international data needs.

• Involves all key statistical production units • Assessment of the role of national statistical

training institutes.

Cont’d..

Status of NSDS in Africa

Several African countries have embraced the concept. Eg. Senegal, Gambia, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda,

Tanzania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Malawi etc.

However at different stages and approach to design NSDSs varies.

A model of best practice Mainstreaming sector statistics…

to strengthen coordination, standards and quality of statistics in the NSS

So?

Sectors: the missing link!!!

• Are Sectors explicitly part of the NSS?

• Are their Sector Strategies for the Development of Statistics (SSDS) integrated in the NSDS?

What should be done?

Mainstream sector statistics in the NSDS

process

The term sector is used here to describe a vertical division of governmental

focus that relates to a given subject area or public need - usually corresponding to line

ministries, government departments or agencies -

with separate and well-defined areas of concern,

mandate, and budget.

The SSDS

• The sector Strategy for the Development of Statistics (SSDS) should have – A medium to long term vision focused on key users’

needs – A comprehensive framework to:

• Mainstream statistics within sector policy processes

• Address data gaps in all sector components• Manage change by introducing management

principles and modern standards and values• Prioritize use of resources• Ensure standards and quality in data

SSDS Process

The Process is an opportunity for :Advocacy Securing buy-in of key stakeholders (political leaders, decision-makers, development partners) Ownership (empowering stakeholders)Identification of Champions Etc.

Process should be participatory and ensure consensus-building

SECTORAL MAINSTREAMING IN

THE NSS

Mainstreaming sector statistics

Why?• to make more efficient use of resources;

• to improve the provision of indicators;

• to increase the productivity of data collection and management; and

• to raise the public profile for statistics

• to make sectors active partners in statistical development.

Sector Strategies for the Development of Statistics are building blocks of the PE SEN

Sectoral statistics are produced through the statistical system of each sector which may be functionally centralized or decentralized within the NSS.

Hierarchy of Sector

priorities

build into

the national

priorities for data

and information

NSDS DESIGN STAGES ACROSS COUNTRIES

Degree of mainstreaming

Type of system

Implication for NSDS design

Outcome of NSDS design

Next steps

Sectors not mainstreamed

Centralized or decentralized

NSO does not consult or involve sectors

NSDS document that does not take account of sector strategies

Conduct an integrated NSDS using this guide

Sectors partially mainstreamed

Decentralized

NSO consults but does not involve sectors

NSDS document that caters for sectors but does not include sector-owned strategies

Review the NSDS document and mainstream sectoral strategies using this guide

Centralized

NSDS document that includes sector strategies that are not owned by the sectors

Review and update the NSDS document with the sectors using this guide

Some sectors fully mainstreamed

Centralized or decentralized

NSO consults and involves some sectors

NSDS document that includes some sector-owned strategies

Sequence in more sectors in repeated stages of NSDS design using this guide

All sectors fully mainstreamed

Centralized or decentralized

NSO consults and involves all sectors

NSDS document that includes sector-owned strategies

Monitor and evaluate NSDS implementation

Sector statisticsIn most African countries there is, • Inconsistent, informal and relatively weak linkages

– between sectoral statistical systems – between sectoral statistical systems and NSOs

• Little appreciation of the implications of the statistical activities of one sector with respect to others.- Nutrition –Water & Sanitation, Education, Agriculture, Health etc.

Mainstreaming sectoral statistical systems requires that key stakeholders using sector statistics are involved in the design & implementation of the SSDS

• they work with each other and with the NSO to develop shared goals and cross-cutting strategies, and

• streamline institutional and coordination arrangements.

Launch of the NSDS design process

Planning, advocacy, coordination, technical assistance, road maps

Assessment of each sector’s statistical system

Development of vision and strategies for each sectoral statistical system

Development of implementation plan for each sectoral statistical system

Sectoral strategic plans are integrated into an integrated NSDS

Implementation, monitoring, and evaluation, of the sector plans and NSDS

Phase I

Phase II

Phase III

Phase IV

Phase V

Champions andadvocates of

statistics

MAIN FEATURES OF THE SSDS DESIGN

Sector review meetingsInter Agency Meetings

(Coordination committee)

MAIN FEATURES OF THE NSDS DESIGN

Paris21 Generic Model

Assessment:Where we are now

Launching

Action Plans:How to get there

Implementation:How to stay there

Vision:Where we want to be

Assessment:Where we are now

Launching

Action Plans:How to get there

Implementation:How to stay there

Vision:Where we want to be

Key components

• Resources – policies, financial resources, human resources, communication, coordination & leadership

• Indicators – Minimum set of indicators, standards etc

• Data Sources-Types of data sources, and standards

• Data Management – data definition, flow, quality, storage and linkage

• Information products – User needs, analysis and presentation

• Dissemination and use – Infrastructure, synthesis, packaging and documentation

International statistics development Models

WHO - Health Metric Network (HMN) Model

FAO Model

ILO Model

UNESCO Institute of Statistics (UIS) Model

Agriculture – FAO Model

Agricultural sector contributes immensely to the country’s GDP & must be measured.

Why the initiative?

To support countries in strengthening their food and agricultural statistics systems

Technical assistance in terms of;• Reviewing and developing methodologies of data

collection, • Processing and analysis - particularly in the

domains of census of agriculture and permanent systems,

• Elaboration of food deprivation and food insecurity indicators, food balance sheets,

• Data harmonization, integration and dissemination (countrySTAT) etc, and

• Identification of standards and promotion of good practice in other sectors.

FAO Approach

• The NSDS borrows a leaf from each of these initiatives

• The NSDS considers all the sectors

• To improve coordination, sector contact persons for all the above initiatives should be on the NSDS Inter Sector Committee

THE NSDS – UNITING FACTOR

Labour

Education

Trade

etc

Agriculture

Health

NSO

Fully coordinated statistical system

Common institutional Procedures

All embracing legal & Institutional framework

Common metadata dictionary

Common data quality standards

Hamonised data production schedule

Comprehensive dissemination Policy for the NSS

Coherent Advocacy Strategy for the NSS

Coherent MISs in the NSS

Common Data Warehouse

• Limited knowledge about strategic planning • Securing stakeholder buy-in to the process Limited commitment of Technical Managers Prioritisation of statistical functions by line

ministries and other government agencies Bureaucracy Structural placement of statistics outfits in the

ministries/agencies Budgeting Sequencing activities of the policy making cycle

with the data production cycle Securing sustainable funding for

implementation

SOME CHALLENGES

Quick Wins• Coordinated effort to enable up scaling and out scaling (vertical

and horizontal growth) – Producer/Producer, and Producer/User meetings

• Creation/strengthening of an existing committee to operationalize the SSDS within the agreed institutional framework;

• Rotation of meeting venues among the sectors and participation of the NSO and sector leadership;

• Regular meetings of NSO leadership with the sector Chief Executives

• Sharing financial support for poorly resourced sectors through basket funding

• Installation and effective use of intranet/internet facilities to improve communication between sectors, and NSO; and

• Production and distribution of a NSS newsletter.

Thank you for your attention