Coordinate to ensure reliable and credible statistics
The statistician-general Alex Shimuafeni this week called for cooperation between government ministries and the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) to ensure that statistics are credible. Shimuafeni was speaking at the signing ceremony of the memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation and the NSA for the collection of data on the labour market in Namibia.
The labour ministry and the NSA said the MoU is a formalisation of an already long existing relationship between them. The MoU spells out areas of operations, mutual assistance and the sharing of information.
Shimuafeni said the ministry and the agency have always collaborated when doing labour force surveys, which Cabinet resolved to be done on an annual basis.
He revealed that the NSA, together with the labour ministry, is busy putting together a Namibia labour market information system, which will show indicators in the market as opposed to just looking at the unemployment rate.
Shimuafeni said there is also a need to work with other ministries, including the Ministry of Finance in order to create a statistical business register.
“We need to know the number of businesses that are there in terms of skills and the Employment Equity Commission will also assist in getting the information. Harambee is talking about good governance and cooperation. We can’t work in isolation. You will not create synergy and it’s not cost effective. Like other ministries, the ministry of labour also has statisticians. It’s important for us to work together,” he said.
Shimuafeni further said that according to the Statistics Act, one of NSA’s functions is to coordinate the National Statistics System (NSS), which he says is nothing else than producing statistics.
“We need to coordinate on the NSS to make sure the statistics that are going out are official and credible and to also make sure what we produce is timely and reliable. In the quest to model the NSS, we need to bring the statisticians of the ministries closer to work together for the sake of synergy and effectiveness,” Shimuafeni said.
GORDON JOSEPH
The labour ministry and the NSA said the MoU is a formalisation of an already long existing relationship between them. The MoU spells out areas of operations, mutual assistance and the sharing of information.
Shimuafeni said the ministry and the agency have always collaborated when doing labour force surveys, which Cabinet resolved to be done on an annual basis.
He revealed that the NSA, together with the labour ministry, is busy putting together a Namibia labour market information system, which will show indicators in the market as opposed to just looking at the unemployment rate.
Shimuafeni said there is also a need to work with other ministries, including the Ministry of Finance in order to create a statistical business register.
“We need to know the number of businesses that are there in terms of skills and the Employment Equity Commission will also assist in getting the information. Harambee is talking about good governance and cooperation. We can’t work in isolation. You will not create synergy and it’s not cost effective. Like other ministries, the ministry of labour also has statisticians. It’s important for us to work together,” he said.
Shimuafeni further said that according to the Statistics Act, one of NSA’s functions is to coordinate the National Statistics System (NSS), which he says is nothing else than producing statistics.
“We need to coordinate on the NSS to make sure the statistics that are going out are official and credible and to also make sure what we produce is timely and reliable. In the quest to model the NSS, we need to bring the statisticians of the ministries closer to work together for the sake of synergy and effectiveness,” Shimuafeni said.
GORDON JOSEPH
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