New legal framework in place to transform national statistical system
Central Bank governor, BCCEC chair and financial secretary among those named
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The government named new members to the first Bahamas National Statistical Board last week, as work is expected to begin immediately to drive the transformation of the national statistical system.
With the passage of the Statistics Act, 2021, in March, the Bahamas National Statistical Institute (BNSI) has replaced the Department of Statistics as of July 1, 2021, and now has the statutory mandate for the collection, analysis and dissemination of statistics, including the national census. The act also brings the management of the BNSI and its affairs under the purview of the recently named board.
Minister of State for Finance Kwasi Thompson said: “During this year’s national budget exercise, we passed a revolutionary suite of new legislation that will transform the way this and future administrations manage public finances.
“This included the Statistics Act, which will pave the way for more evidence-based policy-making processes and decisions in the future.
“We must improve public financial management by ensuring our policies are backed by accurate and up-to-date data.”
The board’s chairperson, A Gabriella Fraser, is an economist by training and brings with her extensive experience in socioeconomic analysis, policy and planning. She has also built a career in institutional strengthening and organizational capacity development, including corporate communications.
“This is certainly an important initiative that will contribute critically to our national development,” said Fraser.
“Credibility, integrity and impartiality are essential standards for the official data of a country, and ensuring a properly resourced system that drives and supports the production and dissemination of statistics that meet these standards is necessary for effective policy and decision making.
“It is certainly a privilege for me to have the opportunity to give service in this way.”
The newly appointed board began their two-year term on July 1, 2021, and can serve for an additional term of two years.
Among its functions, the board is responsible for protecting the credibility, integrity and impartiality of official statistics, preserving the institute’s independence and developing policies for how the institute will carry out its mandate.
Board members include:
- Chairperson A Gabriella Fraser, founding principal and managing director of the Vivian Group;
- Deputy Chairperson Zhivargo Laing, executive director and senior policy fellow of the government and Public Policy Institute;
- Board member Dr Anthony Hamilton, president of Civil Society Bahamas;
- Board member John A Rolle, governor of the Central Bank of The Bahamas;
- Board member Khrystle Rutherford-Ferguson, chairman of The Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers’ Confederation (BCCEC);
- Ex officio member Elise Delancy, permanent secretary for transformation and digitization in the Office of the Prime Minister;
- Ex officio Member Tami Francis, assistant director of analytics, research and actuarial services for the National Insurance Board (NIB);
- Ex officio member Marlon Johnson, acting financial secretary in the Ministry of Finance; and
- Ex officio member Leona Wilson, acting managing director, Bahamas National Statistical Institute.
