Min of Finance to host major statistical workshop

Min of Finance to host major statistical workshop

The creation of a National Strategy for the Development of Statistics (NSDS) to guide the development of the incoming National Statistical System (NSS) is a key part of the mandate of Component II: National Statistics of the Public Financial Management and Performance Monitoring Reform (PFM/PMR) Project.

In fulfilment of this task, the Ministry of Finance is set to host a three-day workshop from February 1921, that will validate the results of the assessment of the current NSS, prioritize recommendations emanating from this and other documents, gather cross sectional input from data producers from various government ministries, stakeholders from the private sector, academia and civil society and ultimately come to an agreement on the NSDS strategic framework. The outcome of the workshop will include the vision, mission, goals and strategic objectives of the NSS.

The workshop will be led by Jean Joseph Le Nay, an international consultant with decades of experience in Developmental Planning, specifically in the area of macroeconomics. As one of the reviewers on the revised draft of the PARIS 21 guidelines on National Statistical Development Strategy, Le Nay offers expertise of the highest level, ensuring that the Bahamian NSS will meet global quality standards. In addition to synthesizing national data needs, the planning workshop will also focus on the importance of statistics as a foundation for National Development Management.

As a small island nation and a developing country, high quality, relevant, timely data is invaluable for decision making that impacts the lives of every Bahamian. National Statistics is also a matter of international importance as the Bahamas has numerous reporting obligations under conventions, agreements and treaties that have been signed with international bodies. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), CARICOM regional standards and others all impact the required structure of the National Statistical System, in addition to national information needs.

The NSDS will accordingly be aligned with national development priories and international best practices that follows the United Nations Fundamental Principles of Statistics.

The NSS will create areas of opportunity in advanced mathematics, analytics, security and many other technical fields and it is therefore imperative that Information technology and human resource capacity will be at the forefront of the discussion on National Statistical Development.

Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon K. Peter Turnquest, will provide the keynote address at the workshop’s official opening on Monday.