Oct 1-15, 2018
The coinage statistics is the new oil may sound like a cliché or a passionate buzzword of statisticians. In the emerging world of data mining, analytics, automation, and trend analysis, this branch of science is occupying a high pedestal among policymakers, the scientific community, social scientists and you name any. This was amplified recently by Dr Oliver Chinganya, Director of the African Centre for Statistics (ACS) at the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), while speaking at a panel discussion at the 2nd World Data Forum in Dubai, held very recently.
Undeniably, Africa is still a laggard in collating geospatial and other varied data that are relevant for measuring economic growth, social indicators and such other vectors that would help to compare the present growth with the past, internecine comparisons within the region and of course with benchmarks and standards set internationally. undoubtedly, one cannot paint all countries with one brush. The notable exception is South Africa.
It is useful to see what holds back collation of such data. Statisticians of eminence say that data if it is an honest compilation can put the political administration in bad lights. Lack of governance will be subjected to public scrutiny, so much so some of the African governments had come out with fiats that would attract penal action if the data or statements quoted are contrary to official stand. Africa has to come out of the fear complex and should realize that manipulations and unreasonable restrains would go against the development process and in one way or the other whatever hidden or suppressed would come out in open. The allegation is that when it comes to funding for statistics, there are more promises than action because politicians sign documents and make bold statements but a lot of it ends at that level.
The African governments need to take urgent, concrete and significant actions to boost and utilize the statistical capacity, which will then guide their efforts to address ongoing global challenges in health, education, employment, income levels, migration, gender, and the environment. There is a need for stronger partnerships within the entire data production and consumption spectrum and the importance of linking privately generated data to the public ones. Let there be a resolution among the African countries to push data to the forefront as a tool to make governance work and not otherwise.
