Organizing and Operationalizing

National Statistical SystemThe Malawi NSS experience

By Mercy Kanyuka

Presented at a Workshop on the Review of the RRSF Implementation Kigali Rwanda 18 – 21 October 2011

Presentation Outline• Introduction - NSO• Background to Malawi NSS• Organizing the NSS• Operationalisation– Coordination of decentralized official statistics– Aligning The NSS and NSO to Inter. Stat. System and Inter.

Standards– Donor coordination– Revision of Statistics Act– Functional Review

– Challenges

The Malawi National Statistical Office

• Govt. Dept under Finance and Dev. Planning• Operates under the 1967 Statistics Act– (Currently under revision)

• Headed by Commissioner of Statistics• Head quarters and 3 regional offices• Operates the Statistics Common Service– Statisticians in line ministries are recruited,

promoted, posted by Commissioner of Statistics

Background to Malawi NSS

• NSO’s activities based on Strategic Planning since 1996• First S/P was produced in 1996 for 1996 – 2000• Second produced in 2001 for 2002 – 2006• Latest S/P finalised Aug 07 covers period 2007 -2011• Currently working on the next S/P for period 2012 -2016

• The 2007-2011 S/P has 6 goals one of which is to establish, promote, coordinate and manage the NSS

• NSS was launched in November 2006

‘Organising’ the NSS

• NSS Steering Committee– Composition :About 15 members from line Ministries and the

President of the Statistics Association of Malawi– Quarterly Meetings to review work plans and progress of work– Under this are subject-specific technical working groups

• NSS is being implemented in phases:– First phase working with 6 Ministries: Agriculture, Education,

Health, Labour, Trade and Industry, Justice and the NSO

• NSS Strategic Plan was finalised in June 2008 for 2008-2012• Prioritised and costed action plan for statistics and capacity building to

develop statistics

Operationalisation of NSS

• Coordination of decentralized official Statistics

– Framework for coordination across Malawi Government

– NSS Strategic Plan provide framework for integration into MGDS processes

– Quarterly Steering Committee meetings oversee implementation of NSS Strategic Plan

Operationalisation of NSS (cont’d)

• Aligning The NSS and NSO to Inter. Stat. System and Inter. Standards– NSS working on compendium of Statistics /

Indicators/ concepts / Definitions : Demographic and Social

– Finalized Economic, Agric. Educ. & Health– Capacity Building

• Officers undergoing various courses with Malawi University• In- house Training : Resource Centre for sharing knowledge

within statisticians as well as others from outside

Operationalisation of NSS (cont’d)

• Donor coordination• Framework for coordination between

Development Partners• Framework for funding– Working towards Statistics SWAP and basket funding

• Statistical Advocacy– Materials developed and distributed to the wider

community – newsletters; flyers; booklets

Operationalisation of NSS (cont’d)

• Revision of Statistics Act– Act being revised to give Commissioner of

Statistics more powers to coordinate stats. Activities of NSS

• Functional Review of NSO & NSS– NSO Organization structure has been reviewed to:• Create more positions and better career paths• Ensure NSS Coordination unit is within the NSO

established divisions/sections• Line Ministries have higher posts of statisticians

Challenges in NSS implementation

• Understanding NSS within government– E.g. NSS coordination unit

• Capacity building– Human Resource esp. in govt. department– Financial Resource constraints

• Donor coordination– Has been possible for specific activities not all NSS

• Enacting proposed Statistics Bill

Thank you!