$91.4M program for development of statistics launched

A one-year program valued US$442,000 to increase the availability of statistics as it relates to Guyana, the economy, poverty levels, employment and other data was today launched by the Bureau of Statistics.

The National Strategy for the Development of Statistics includes programs which will monitor various activities to provide accurate statistics.

Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan pointed out that such statistics help the Government to craft better policies and implement solutions to problems.

“We all need statistics in one kind or the other, the government to make policies and promote development, to help reduce poverty, business owners and entrepreneurs, to decide where to invest and how to run their businesses, our development partners to identify where to direct their efforts…and of course, our citizens, to help manage their lives and hold the government accountable,” Jordan pointed out.

Funding for the project is provided through a grant from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

Chief planning officer and Chairman of the Bureau of Statistics, Dr Nelson Modeste pointed to the need for data relating to labour productivity which he said is important as Guyana welcomes investors.

The project begins with a week-long workshop and will end in March 2019.

The project is being completed with assistance from Paris21 – The Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century.

In 2017, Guyana ranked 159 in the Open Data Inventory; lower than the regional median.

Within the country, the highest levels of coverage and openness are on economic statistics and the lowest levels are on social statistics.