Transcript THIRD INTERNATONAL ROUNDTABLE MANGING FOR DEVELOPMEN …

THIRD INTERNATONAL ROUNDTABLE
MANGING FOR DEVELOPMEN
RESULTS
Uganda’s Experience in Reforming the National
Statistical System
Presented by:
Mr. John B. Male-Mukasa
Executive Director, Uganda Bureau of Statistics
HANOI 5 – 8 FEBRUARY 2007
OUTLINE
1.
2.
3.
4.
INTRODUCTION
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
STATISTICAL REFORMS IN UGANDA
STRATEGICES FOR EHNANCING
STATISTICAL DEVLEOPMENT
5. MAIN LESSONS LEARNT
6. CONCLUSIONS
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1. Introduction
 It is now recognized internationally that better
statistics are an essential part of an enabling
environment for development.
 Better statistics do ( or should) lead to better
policies and development outcomes.
 According to a PARIS21 pamphlet,
“in many of the poorest countries,
statistics are weak and policy-makers seldom use
them, leading to poor decisions and poor
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outcomes”.
Vicious cycle of statistical
underdev’t of NSS in Sub-Saharan Africa
limited demand
for statistics
Limited
statistical
awareness
Limited appreciation
of statistics
by policy and
decision makers at all levels
limited statistical
output
Under
performance of
statistical
agencies
limited
organizational
and institutional
development
sustained
Under funding
for statistics
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1. Introduction (cont’d)
 In recent past, African countries have signed up
to the new focus on managing for development
results (PRSP, MDGs policies) which is “data
intensive”.
 New demands on the weak NSS have given
impetus for statistical reforms and development
of statistical capacity to break out of the vicious
cycle of statistical under-development.
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2. Historical Background
 In the 1970s and 1980s, Uganda like many other
countries in Sub-Saharan Africa experienced
precipitous decline in statistical production.
 New government that came to power in 1986
embarked on major economic and institutional reform
agenda and process. Needed good statistics to
support the reforms and policies as well as to monitor
and measure progress.
 From 1987,steps have been taken to rehabilitate and
improve the national statistical infrastructure and
capacity to deliver good statistics and build confidence
in official statistics.
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2.Historical Background
(cont’d)
 Rehabilitation of national statistical infrastructure
extended beyond NSO to include other key players in
NSS including, Ministries, Departments and Agencies
(MGAs).
 In spite of these measures and efforts, national
statistics remained weak,
 limited consultations between users & producers,
 little collaboration between data producers and
analysts and
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 limited data analysis generally.
3. Statistical Reforms
in Uganda
 Transformation of the Statistics Dep’t into a
semi-autonomous highly professional gov’t
statistical agency, the Uganda Bureau of
Statistics (The Uganda Bureau of Statistics Act
1998).
 Bureau mandated to oversee and improve the
mgt of the NSS to provide reliable, consistent,
accurate and timely data for policy formulation
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and planning.
3. Statistical Reforms
in Uganda (cont’d)
Bureau governed by a small, technocratic Board
of Directors whose functions among others, is:
 protecting and promoting integrity of official
statistics,
 staff appointment,
 approving the work programme and budget of
the Bureau and
 periodically reviewing the structure of the
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Bureau.
3. Statistical Reforms
in Uganda (cont’d)
In addition to the above reforms, gov’t undertook to
support the development of statistics in the country by:
 Building statistical components in important national
development programmes and projects
 Using statistics extensively in evidence-based macroeconomic management and policy making esp. in
monitoring poverty reduction programmes
 Including the core statistical activities of the Bureau
under the “Protected Budgetline” (PAF)
 Attracting donor funding to relocate the Bureau close
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to the users of statistical products and services
4.Strategies for Enhancing
Statistical Development
The Bureau has developed mutually-supportive
strategies and taken actions to promote development
of statistics and their use for evidence-based policy
and decision making. They include:
 ensuring credibility & transparency of official statistics
 designing & implementing a consistent advocacy
programme
 staying relevant to national policy-making process
 broadening and deepening coordination, collaboration
and networking
 production of more innovative information products
 developing a Plan for Statistical Development
 creating a conducive work environment for the Bureau
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staff
4.1Ensuring credibility and
transparency of official statistics
• Employment of a cadre of highly qualified and skilled
staff
• Culture of data quality that emphasises application of
international standards, methodologies and best
practices across the NSS.
• Advance publication of a release calendar consistent
with IMF/GDDS and simultaneous release of data
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4.2 Designing & implementing
a consistent statistical
advocacy programme
 Statistical advocacy aims to proactively create
statistical awareness and make compelling case for
statistics
 Increase demand for statistics by demonstrating their
use in policy and decision making
 Mobilising resources for statistical production
 Uganda’s advocacy programme has included:




cultivating “champions for statistical development
use of news makers
celebrating Africa Statistical Week
staying relevant to policy making process
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4.3 Broadening & deepening
coordination, collaboration
& information sharing
Created a Coordination Directorate for internal
and external coordination, promote mutual
support and achieve synergy
Coordination between data users and producers
Coordination between Bureau & training institutions
Coordination between Bureau & Research agencies
Statistics-donor coordination
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4.4 Improved data analysis
& production
of innovative products
 Making statistics understandable is an advocacy tool
for its use
 Policy-related analysis establishes relationships
among various variables and illustrates policy issues
 Link with agencies with analytical capacity such as
Economic Policy Research Centre, Poverty Monitoring
and Analysis Unit, etc, have facilitated this
 Innovative products such as Poverty Maps and
thematic reports increase use of data and information
for decision making
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4.5 Designing the Plan for
National Statistical Development
 UBOS provided leadership in the design of a Plan for
National Statistical Development (PNSD) covering
period 2006/7 – 2010/11
 It is a medium-term comprehensive and coherent
framework that addresses issue of:
 Data limitations
 Rationalizing use of resources for statistical development
 Integrating statistics with national policy processes
 Introduction of modern management principles in
management of national statistics
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5. KEY LESSONS
1. Autonomy of the NSO enhances its visibility
and enhances the public confidence in official
statistics
2. The Governing Board of the autonomous
agency should be small and professional in
statistics and related fields whose primary
responsibility should be to promote &
preserve:
 professional independence and
 administrative autonomy of the agency as well as
 enhancing its professionalism
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KEY LESSONS (CONT’D)
3. It is important to design and implement a
consistent advocacy programme for statistics
in order to break out of the vicious cycle of
statistical under-development
4. NSOs to take lead in promoting coordination,
collaboration and information sharing among
stakeholders in the NSS
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KEY LESSONS (CONT’D)
5. NSOs should provide leadership to the
process of designing and implementing a
national statistical plan that covers all
data producers, users and sectors
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6. CONCLUSIONS
• It is possible to reverse the decline in statistical
production, but it takes far reaching statistical
reforms.
• The reforms should restructure, resource and
reposition the NSOs to enable them to provide
leadership to and coordinate National Statistical
System.
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Thank You
PLOT 9
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FAX
041-237553
E-MAIL
[email protected]
Website
www.ubos.org
WELCOME TO THE STATISTICS HOUSE
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