National statistical systems in the SDAC countries: diagnosis and relations with the development strategies

Regional Workshop for SADC countries. Maputo, 14-15 October 2013.

Jean Le NayPARIS21

Plan of the Presentation :

1. Main features/constraints in the SADC countries; 2. NSDSs;3. The Users;4. The data production;5. Relations between NSSs and Development Units6. Conclusions .

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• Scope of the survey :12 countries – DRC and Madagascar participated in the Abidjan workshop

• Internal resources for NSOs: 5 million-12 million US $

• NSOs’employees: 230-540• Average per capita internal resources for NSOs:

0.50 $• External resources: needed in all but two

countries.• In 8 countries, resources are stable or decreasing

in 2010-2013.

1-NSSs: THE MAIN FEATURES IN THE SADC COUNTRIES

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• Human resources mentioned in 10 countries;• Insufficient equipment: 8 countries;• Demotivation of the employees: 5 countries;• Lack of production factors to provide the data

expected by the users;• Human resources: a quantitative and qualitative

dimension;• Need for a HR approach.

NSSs: THE MAIN CONSTRAINTS

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• NSDS is the reference framework for statistical programming in the SADC countries;

• Adopted by all the countries, with 3 countries at the design phase;

• 4 countries are implementing a first generation NSDS;

• NSDS improves the status of statistics in the country and increase the relations among the official data providers (NSS). Impact of NSDSs: the weakest point.

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2-THE NSDSs

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• NSDS approach implies a participative dimension;• Users are partners in the design phase in all the

countries. No details on the other phases;• Major partner among users: mass media;• Private sector, researchers/Universities, and civil

society: more difficult.

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3-THE USERS (a)

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• Specific initiatives vis-à-vis the users: – Media relations unit; – monthly meeting with the media; consultation with

users on statistics to be collected; – focus groups to identify gaps; – courses on statistical interpretation.

• NSO Websites: in 11 countries.

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3-THE USERS (b)

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4-DATA PRODUCTION : N.A.

• 8 countries have definitive accounts for 2011. • In 1 country the last definitive N.A. available is for

2008; • Base year of N.A.: 3 countries with base year older

than 10 years;• 11 countries use the 1993 SNA; • 2008 SNA: 1 country; • mix of 1968-1993: 1country.

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• PRSPs and HIPC initiative on debt relief;• PRSPs are very demanding: poverty profile, targets,

indicators;• Poverty remains an issue after the debt relief;• In 2013 all the countries implement or prepare

development strategies including a poverty reduction component with quantitative targets on specific poverty issues.

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5- NSSs AND PRSP OR STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT UNITS (a)

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• NSDSs were responses to the data needs of the PRSPs :

In most of the SADC countries there is no formal articulation between NSDS and development strategy;

3 countries only have inserted the NSDS into the developement strategy (2 with an action plan and resources).

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5-NSDS AND PRSP OR STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT UNITS(b)

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• NSOs are major partners in the design and monitoring/evaluation dimensions of the development strategy;

• NSOs provide data for the reference year, help to choose the targets, and to calculate the indicators;

• Strategic Development Units request: – more frequent data on poverty; – alignment of surveys with the planning cycle; – more timeliness, regularity;– reliability and credibility of the indicators.

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5-NSDS AND PRSP OR STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT UNITS (c)

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• The expectations of the strategic development offices are strictly linked to the preparation and monitoring/evaluation of the development strategy.

• 1 office only expresses wider expectations: the statistics office is expected to promote wide access to and use of data, in order to foster dissemination and evidence-based dialogue.

• There are annual reports on the strategy implementation in most countries (5 do not prepare reports); 2 have specific websites.

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NSDS AND PRSP OR STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT UNITS(d)

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CONCLUSION (a)

• Since 2000, an important evolution of the NSSs took place, mostly based on the NSDS approach: – more autonomy;– recognition of the importance of statistics; – more resources; – more open to users; – more data production; – new instruments and techniques.

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CONCLUSION (b)

Comparison with the 16 countries reviewed at Abidjan in September 2012;

At the Abidjan Workshop, the countries have:• Adopted the NSDS approach earlier; • More frequently integrated the NSDS in the strategic

development documents.

At the Maputo workshop, the NSOs: • have more resources and employees; • Are less dependent on external resources; • Have more relations with the media.

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CONCLUSION (c)

Challenges for the NSSs:

• Improvement of governance and independence;• Systematization of the programming approach; • Involvement of the users beyond the preparation phase; • Unification and coordination of the official data providers; • Coordination of the donors; • Dissemination of data to all the users based on the most updated

communication techniques;• Face the demands linked to« cross-cutting themes »: inequalities;

discrimination; environment and sustainability; population dynamics; governance; human rights…

• Prepare the new world challenges => Putting statistics at the heart of the post-2015 debate.

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