Today’s Herald Guest is Oliver Chinganya, Chief statistician of the UN economic commission for Africa, but also the director of the Africa Center for statistics at ECA. The Ethiopia Herald has had a brief stay with Chinganya recently to discuss current situation of statistical development and related activities in the continent. Have a nice read!
So, how do you describe the current state of Statistics?
The current state of statistical continent, There is a mixed feeling, in the sense that, we are making progress in some areas, but we also not making progress in many areas. The countries that are really doing very well, but not so well, that there are no so well but also there are countries that are not doing very well at all. So as you know, we are in the era of looking at the SDGs 2030 and our countries are supposed to be providing information towards the SDGs and we see a lot of gaps in many areas that our countries are not able to meet the global agenda, which is on this, uh, sustainable developing goals including our own agenda, on the region, which is agenda, 2063.
And I’ll give you an example, for instance, we are in the round what we call the 2020 round of population census. We have only 39 countries that have undertaken their senses and that round is coming to an end in the end of December. I don’t expect the rest of the country will be able to through the census and some of those countries that have not been able to do their senses. There are 3 big countries; it means that, by the end of this round, if we don’t do these census, in these countries 1 in 3, people will not be counted. In other words, one third of the population will not be counted on this continent and what it actually is you will not be able to report. So that is one big problem with our statistics and particularly one of the things also It’s because with the issue is about technology. So now we are moving from traditional data collection to using modern methods, and the problem we’re having now is that not all our countries, have the capacity to create the data using modern approaches. Why? Because in some cases energy is an issue. If you don’t have energy, you cannot have technology. That’s the bigger problem. The technology requires that you have electricity. You have the energy that is required to be able to drive. So that’s it’s a mixed feeling. We are making progress but it’s not good progress. And some countries are not investing enough in data. And so we’re encouraging governments to put a little bit more in data and statistics. And the capacity that’s required to do this.
How are African countries contributing data to the SDGS?
The contribution of Africa to the global agenda SDGs is, it’s equally not in a very good state in the sense that Africa is lagging. We will not be able to achieve all this disease by 2030. That is the truth. We cannot lie from that is the truth will not be able to attain our digits to the global agenda. And I think what is now required is to see where countries have made progress in the agenda 20 30 is to see how they can be helped, at least in those areas to make full progress by 2030. So the contribution is it’s there but it’s not good enough for us to be able to achieve the SDGs. So the acceleration is required in areas where we are making progress in life.
So the countries that contributing mainly through the support that they receive from developing Partners including from ourselves at the Africa Center for Statistics at ECA. and by giving the technical assistance that they require in those areas and that um uh when they collect that data, then it begins to inform their own National development plans when they inform the national Development plans indirectly they also informing the SDGs so they’re making that contribution, but we need to do a lot more and that uh, you know, the countries themselves should not rely on, developing partners for support because all countries including the head of State. They say, statistics is important but we don’t see them putting money in where they are saying it is important.
So, part of that contribution requires that, these people put them a little bit more money and to develop the statistics required when the investor comes, they are looking at the figures you have. It’s like when you go to the bank, you want to get to a credit from the bank. They are going to look at your status whether you are capable of paying back and how long it’s going to be things like that, it’s the same thing to a country. The donors want to look at ‘is this person able to pay back this money. So they look at your numbers. GDP. How good are you in the production sector? How good are you in these areas and so forth and so forth and they can see weaknesses, they will say this person will not be able to buy what happens. They’ll probably increase the interest rate because they know you cannot pay. So they increase in interest rate goes over a long period of time. So it’s necessary that we produce figures which are credible and put them in public so that people can actually see uh what kind of people you have of your country.
Do African countries have consistent or compatible system of statistics?
To clarify, countries develop, or collect information using international accepted Concepts and standards. So they are able to harmonize. So, no country would have a, measure of statistic, which is different from the way another country measures, the measures are similar and the documents what we come metadata. If you talk about measuring of consumer, price index or inflation, they will give you how the computed that. So you can compare with another country, how they compute that. So, all of them countries in Africa, they use international methods and this is our responsibility as the African Center For statistics to help these countries to make sure that they abide by internationally agreed principles. We have what we call the principles. The fundamental principles of official statistics which all countries have signed up to In Africa, we have the statist chart where all countries have sent to so no country would have their own statistics out of their mind. So whatever they produce is based on Manuals and guidelines that are produced internationally.
we have good systems, we have good system. The question is how to implement those by the ways. They all countries have good systems, what they call the national strategies for the development of Statistics in almost all the countries they have that strategy.
Could you tell me about the major actors or sources of statistical data and how they are contributing to the statistics?
The major contributors, first of all in this African continent, there are 3 sister organization The African Union, the Africa Development Bank, and the ECA. So these 3 institutions, they work with what the regional economic communities, the Rex ,IGAD, ECOWAS they work with them very closely to produce the data. So these are the major for but of course, they work with countries. Yes, they don’t produce the test, they have. So they need to the countries to be able to give them the data and we here at Africa Center for that we have created a query.
What we call a data, have the idea was to get the data that comes from the countries into the Hub. But we have challenges because some of the countries don’t do their data on the on the website and it’s difficult to get that data. Some of them they put, then we able to get from their website. So there are some data gaps in that area but we have this big institution that is supporting and the contribution of this to development in Africa.
What does it take Africa from now on to establish a well-functioning system of statistics?
I think what it takes for Africa now is to modernize and transform the national statistical system. If we can National statistics have to modernize because the global is moving with the technology. Now, people are talking about data being collected on a regular basis. Everyone has become a data collector and we are also providing data as we see here. We are collecting data, so everyone is doing that.
So, the Way Forward is to transform digitalize the statistical systems is the way forward so that we can be at time with other countries, we should not be going to households every day to collect the data. We can create data from the satellites, we can create data from the website. We can create a data from the newspapers we can collect data from administrative records without having to go that. So that is the way to go is to transform and modernize, but of course, like I said, they are on this requires, you know, building capacity around taking the technology to build capacity technology also need energy. Without energy technology cannot work. It cannot work. So the way forward is, is transforming and modernizing the systems on the way forward.
Why is ECA bringing young African Statisticians to form networks and share experiences?
The ECA has created what is called Takwimu, which in Swahili means Mathematics or statistics. We have created a young statisticians program, which is part of the statistical commission. It’s a network of young statisticians across the continent. So, right now, they have a registered over, 500 young statisticians across the continent. And the purpose for these young statisticians is 2 fold. One, we know that the young statisticians are the future and they are the ones who can help us to transform and modernize our school system. So we want them to be involved in the statistical development. Their technological savvy, they know more in terms of how they can use artificial intelligence more than we can do, some of us have a traditionally trained.
So we want them to be injected in that process. But also we want to create a bridge between the statistical Elders. Those that are facing us with these people, the generational Gap has to be filled in so that this Elders can tell them where they came from and what their aspirations are. But also the young people can tell them what they’re thinking about them, but also, what they think about the future. It has to be the access that, that kind of job. So there’s a big, uh, uh, capacity development, that’s taking place there. We are opening doors for them to come. You can see some of them. They’ve come for this meeting to network. So they can grow in their career in that and developing in in the areas that they work, but also giving them opportunities to see if they can have a better jobs or better places to go to or things that they can actually do. For ECA here we are trying to develop projects which will involve young statisticians to be implemented by young statisticians. So there is that career. ECA also we are supporting countries a training of Master’s program in 2 institutions, 1 in Abidjan and 1 in Tanzania. From 2002 to now we’ve had 48 of them have graduated with a Masters Degree supported by this Africa Center for Statistics working with other partners.
The ones that are fully registered, we know that they are over 500. We know that the number is much higher than that. We know that because these are young statisticians coming from the national statistical offices, from the Civil Society, from the private sector, and but we know very well at the moment. Most of them come from the national schools, but if you include those come from Academia, the numbers far, far exceeds that and they are busy recruiting.
What was the significance of the 9th Statistical Commissions Conference that took place recently?
So we have now what’s called the ninth statistical commission that is taking place which brings all heads of national statistical offices, here and their experts from the national statistical offices. It also peoples from the, GIS the geographical management agencies that are here we have in excess of 400 people that have come for this conference. I think one of the biggest conferences. So, the statistical commission is the Apex institution that discusses about the development of Statistics in Africa. So they talk about, where do we want us to take our statistics, how do you want to develop? And so forth. So the conversation that is here really is around modernizing. That is the main thing. If you look at the things and listen, that Innovative process of modernizing. The capacity they’ve been here since Monday, we started with 2 days of pre meetings. The first meeting was about development partners and, The Forum for Statistical Development and then we had another meeting which is on the disaster related statistics. As you know the continent has a lot of problems around disaster related statistics. There as I mentioned earlier, the people that deal with GIS, also here. So it’s a very, very important meeting.
Thank you very much for allowing me your time!
Thank you!
BY ZEKARIAS WOLDEMARIAM
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SATURDAY 2 NOVEMBER 2024
