By Amadou Manjang
The Gambia Bureau of Statistic (GBoS) Monday commemorated the African Statistics Day (ASD) at Metzy Residence Hotel, Kololi.
The celebration aims to raise public awareness of the importance of statistics in planning, measuring and tracking progress, impact assessment and evidence-based decision-making.
The year’s theme is ‘Supporting education by modernizing the production of fit-for-purpose Statistics’. This aligns with the African Union theme for 2024 ‘Educate and Skill Africa for the 21st Century’ which calls for modernizing data ecosystems on the continent to produce and use high-quality education-related statistics.
The African Statistics Day was celebrated alongside the Producer- User Forum that seeks to bring data producers and users into dialogue.
Speaking at the event, GBoS Deputy Statistician General Alieu Saho said the Producer- User Forum is organised to get feedback from data users which enhance the relevant and impact of data production. This will also enhance accountability and transparency in data production and usage, he added.
He then called for the leveraging of technology in statistical data production as it provides efficient and reliable data. The adoption of technology in GBoS work has enhanced data collection and dissemination and improved quality in the statistical products, he added.
For his part, Chairman of the Statistics Council, Sering Falu Njie said there is a need to adopt technology because it is crucial in providing real time data. He further said there is a need to take a holistic approach to address challenges in statistical data production in the country.
