The Bureau of Statistics has implemented a new web-based information portal that allows users to access and share up-to-date human development national statistics that play a key role in planning and policy making.
The Guyana Development Information Database (GuyD_Info) was created with support from the United Nations Group of Organisations in Guyana, a report from the Government Information Agency (GINA) said. It provides updated statistical data that play a key role in informing the planning of policies and programmes for the country.
The database was demonstrated on Wednesday at a meeting held at the Guyana International Conference Centre for Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh, United Nations Development Programme Resident Coordinator Khadija Musa and United Nations Children’s Fund Representative (Unicef) Marianne Flach.
In his remarks, Dr Singh noted the importance of having hard evidence to inform discourse, decision making and management within every sphere of governance. To further clarify his point he referred 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 said.
Government also put considerable effort into building and developing Guyana’s statistics as part of a larger programme that includes establishing and strengthening monitoring and evaluation systems, and boosting effectiveness. Government has been updating many of its statistical databases and building capacity at the Bureau of Statistics and plans are in train to build similar statistical capability in the sector ministries.
“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 Statistics Act and more timely submission of data, all with the aim of ensuring that we achieve this objective of better informed decision making,” Dr Singh said.
He further noted that the importance of the GuyD_Info database, “cannot possible be over-emphasised.”
According to GINA, government has also invested in capturing and making available data through websites of the different ministries and agencies. GuyD_Info is Guyana’s adaptation of the Dev_Info programme that was 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. Dev_Info itself was originally adapted from Unicef’s ChildInfo database technology.
UN Representative Musa said the GuyD_Info database will be a strong tool for the UN in Guyana in helping to address the disparities, targeting 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 database 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. Musa also said that in order for the programme to be effective, every effort must be made to ensure that the data accessible is regularly updated.
Meanwhile, 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. Over the past 25 years the Bureau has made rapid strides “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 allows users to save their visualised output for future use, which also allows for sharing with others via social media, email and webpage embedding, GINA said.
In time the Bureau will seek to link the database system with others in the sector and the private sector companies, to build a net of users and to advocate and eventually install a GuyD_Info help desk. To date, 125 countries have adopted the Dev_Info programme.
