THEVALUE OF NATIONAL STATISTICS IN DEVELOPING NATIONS

National statistics is like building structure that transfers its gravity loads to the ground. Good data therefore are essential for national government and institutions to accurately plan, fund and evaluate activities.

A country without data is like laboring in the slumbering woods; the aftermath is that, she will not be haunted by ghost and monsters in the woods but by low per capital income, low standards of living, high rate of population growth, illiteracy, dependence on archaic agriculture and high level of unemployment. Why do statistics matter? They are the evidence on which policies are built. They help to identify needs, set goals and monitor progress; without statistics, policymakers cannot learn from their mistakes, they flickered in the mists.

It helps people to make informed decisions about policies, programmes and projects.

Foreign investors need to know what resources are available in a given country before investing.

Data analytic is increasingly being used by developing nations to tackle development challenges such as boosting crop yield to controlling the spread of certain disease. Data are used to forecast climate variations which help farmers adapt to favorable weather so as to tackle hunger. Data are also used to predict the cause and spread of specific diseases.

Organizations like the International Monetary Fund (IMF), United Nations, and the World Bank make use of accurate data to arrive at conclusion but sadly when it comes to the data from the developing countries, they are often not reliable or simply non-existent, whether you are looking at economic growth, hunger or poverty.

Federal government statistics provide critical information to the country and serve a key role in a democracy. There are agencies responsible to ensure key information about economy, society, and environment that they require to function effectively as citizens and decision makers.

There are diverse tools used to arrive at a given data, such as survey data, observational studies, impact evaluation, among others. These are tools used to ensure we are not cloaked in darkness. In Nigeria, National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) is an apex statistical agency responsible for all the three tiers of government. According to www.stats.gov.cn, the NBS is responsible for the organization, leadership and coordination of national statistical work and national economical accounting endeavors. Information such as: Nigeria GDP per capita in Current prices, Nigeria growth rate of the real GDP compared to the previous year, Nigeria unemployment, inflation rate, import goods per annum, export goods per annum, trade balance, Nigeria national debt in relation to GDP, ratio of government expenditure to GDP, population census, consumer price index, among others, are available on the coffers of NBS.

If we go deeper, the agency provides us with: fertility rate in Nigeria, life expectancy at birth, death rate, infant mortality rate and such likes. Hazy clouds hung over developing nation’s heads so much so that procedures for collating data are sluggish and national statistics offices take years to release figures. This dearth of accurate data in the developing countries slows down development. Who could have imagined Nigeria would turn the biggest economy overnight in 2014? The truth is, there was no review for decades and so rebasing was not done to calculate GDP.

If we go further to get data from the NBS, can we get data for the number of days it will take us to run out of food without importation? Can we get a biometric data for a new born baby directly linked to National Identity Management Commission (NIMC)? That is the bane of the developing nations. What reasons can we give for lack of data? Surveys are alien in some parts of the developing countries and when we conduct surveys they are conducted every few years. Other reasons for lack of data include: low literacy rates, limited communications infrastructure, nomadic culture, conflict and displaced populations.

How do we use data to solve the problem? To provide solutions for water shortages, housing needs and employment.

According to reuters.com, ata is being used to analyze weather and geographical challenges in places such as Tanzania, Nepal and the Philippine… from analyzing flood, earthquake and tsunami to strengthen disaster preparedness.

In developing nations, the growing demands for more timely information is not available, and in most cases the information arrive late which puts policymakers in a tight corner. Nigeria for instance is due for another census since 2016 but lack of funds is delaying the exercise; without this, government and development agencies operate in the dark and cannot accurately knows the population needs.

In advanced countries, data are easily accessible and it reflects the true position of things. It enables them to plan ahead and get result. Their statics provide easy, one-step access to critical statistics for countries, cities, and towns, regions, census and many more …