Africa Statistics Day-Seychelles about to join global info system |18 November 2006

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) controls the General Data Dissemination System (GDDS) that Seychelles is aspiring to be included on.

The director general for the National Statistics Bureau (NSB), Laura Ahtime, said this Friday November 17, when she told Seychelles Nation that all relevant data has already been forwarded to IMF, except those for Health and Education.

“We hope to submit the data soon and be part of the GDDS by the end of next month,” Ms Ahtime said, calling on organizations that are expected to furnish a committee set up for the purpose of gathering data to continue rendering their support to the process.

The committee is made up of representatives from the Central Bank, the Ministry of Finance and the National Statistics Bureau.

“In its endeavour to achieve and maintain the standards required by the GDDS and fulfill the requirements of the four dimensions of the system, the NSB requires the commitment and cooperation of all to be able to compile and deliver timely and quality statistics.

“As we celebrate African Statistics Day, let us all reflect on how we as individuals and organizations alike, can play our role as both users and producers of data and how we can effectively contribute to assisting the NSB in achieving the set objectives for the benefit of us all,” she said.

She said that the GDDS is a structured process aimed at addressing the statistical needs that have emerged from the globalization of the world’s economies. The increasing integration of economic and financial activity has intensified demand for a wide range of economic and other data to underpin the task of macroeconomic management.

The primary objective of the GDDS, she said, is to ensure that statistical systems are developed and maintained in ways that permit statistics to be produced and disseminated in accordance with principles and practices that ensure high standards of excellence. Thus, the system is grounded on the application of sound methodological principles, the adoption of rigorous compilation practices, and the use of procedures that ensure professionalism and objectivity as well as the equitable dissemination of statistics.

Participation in the GDDS requires that a country undertake three actions relative to the System, and participation depends on completion of these actions.

These are commitment to using the GDDS as a framework for the development of national systems for the production and dissemination of economic, financial, and socio-demographic data, designation of a country coordinator to work with IMF staff and preparation of metadata, to be disseminated by IMF on the Dissemination Standards Bulletin Board (DSBB), on current statistical and dissemination practices and plans for short- and longer-term improvements in each of the four dimensions of the system.

Africa Statistics Day is being marked under the UN Economic Commission for Africa with the theme, “National strategies for the development of statistics: Statistical planning at the service of dynamic development.”