…to provide human resource data for nation-building

THE Bureau of Statistics has implemented a new web-based information portal called Guyana’s Development Information Database (GuyD_Info) that provides users the opportunity to share and access human development national statistics.

The information database, developed with support from the United Nations Group of Organisations in Guyana, provides updated statistical data that play a key role in informing the planning of policies and programmes for the country.
It was Wednesday demonstrated at the Guyana International Conference Centre (GICC) Liliendaal, in the presence of Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, Resident Coordinator United Nations Development Programme, Khadija Musa, and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Representative, Marianne Flach.
Minister Singh noted the importance of having hard evidence to inform discourse, decision-making and management within every sphere of activities in the country, and more so in today’s world where resources are finite.
Clarifying his statement, he pointed to the target set by government to realise widespread secondary education. “We have set ourselves the target of achieving universal secondary education, and we do so, not against the background of limitless resources, so that we can build schools everywhere…we do so against the background of finite resources and making an informed decision about how best, and the most efficient and effective (way) to achieve universal secondary education,” he noted.
The minister said that government, in recognition of the importance of having hard data, devoted considerable effort to building and developing the country’s statistic capacity as part of a larger programme that includes establishing and strengthening monitoring and evaluation systems, and raising effectiveness in government.
Government has been updating many of its statistical data bases and building capacity at the Bureau of Statistics, but this is not the end, as Minister Singh pointed out.
“We are working hard to build similar suitable statistical capability in the sector ministries…we are collaborating closely with our private sector partners to provide data reporting, to ensure better compliance with  the Statistic Act and more timely submission of data, all with the aim of ensuring that we achieve this objective of better informed decision making,” he said.
He said therefore that the importance of the GuyD_Info database “cannot possible be over-emphasised,” as it serves an extremely useful purpose.
Government has already devoted considerable effort into capturing and making available data through websites of the different ministries and agencies.
GuyD_Info is Guyana’s adaptation of the Dev_Info programme, a tool developed under the auspices of the UN and endorsed by the United Nations Development Group, for countries to compile their human development with the specific purpose of monitoring their performances as it relates to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Dev_Info itself was originally adapted from UNICEF’s ChildInfo database technology.
UN Representative Musa noted that the GuyD_Info database will be a strong tool for the UN in Guyana, in helping to address the disparities, and to target the most vulnerable sections of society. She said the UN could use the database to monitor national data, disaggregated by sex, location, age, education and other factors related to groups at risk.
“We are pleased with the partnership with the Ministry of Finance and the Bureau of Statistics in launching the GuyD_Info data base, through which we can inform our future plans for sustainable development including poverty reduction strategies, health and nutrition, and continue to contribute effectively to national development strategies and priorities,” she said.
She warned that for the programme to be effective, every effort must be made to ensure that the data accessible is regularly updated.
The Bureau’s Chief Statistician, Lennox Benjamin, said that the launch continues what has been the Bureau’s most recent history of instances of collaboration and cooperation with the United Nations Group of Organisations in Guyana.
He said too that the launch was symbolic of the rapid strides made by the Bureau in the last 25 years, “to tap into and take advantage of the rapid global strides that have been made in the field of information technology” and the latest technologies pioneered by the United Nations system for more rapid efficient measurement and dissemination of national statistics.
The Bureau’s first tentative step in building its institutional capacity as it relates to the world of information technology was in 1988, when with the support of the United Nations Group of Organisations, the first computer was installed at the agency.
GuyD_Info allows for quick data search; it has visualisation tools that make it easier to explore data, a gallery that provides for users to save their visualised output for future use, which also allows for sharing with others via social media, e-mail and webpage embedding.
The Bureau will in time seek to link the database system with those of other sectors and other private sector companies, to build a net of users and to advocate and eventually install a GuyD_Info help desk.
Thus far, globally, 125 countries have adopted the Dev_Info programme.

(GINA)