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News : Bahamas Information Services Updates Last Updated: Feb 24, 2018 - 12:06:27 PM


Workshop held to determine NSDS
By Llonella Gilbert
Feb 19, 2018 - 9:38:48 PM

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Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, the Hon. Peter Turnquest opens the National Strategy for the Development of Statistics Validation and Strategic Planning workshop at SuperClubs Breezes, Monday, February 19, 2018. (BIS Photo/Kristaan Ingraham)

NASSAU, The Bahamas - The Ministry of Finance held a workshop designed to engage and seek the input of all key stakeholders before drafting the National Strategy for the Development of Statistics (NSDS), which would benefit national planning and evidence-based decision making.   The workshop was held at SuperClubs Breezes, Monday, February 19, 2018.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance the Hon. Peter Turnquest said, “This strategy, we fully expect, will serve as the strategic plan that will provide the roadmap to establishing strategic governance, planning and monitoring of the Bahamas National Statistical System: including the Department of Statistics and the other data producing agencies across government.”

Attendees at the workshop included data producers from various government ministries, users of this information, and other stakeholders such as the business community, academia, media, civil society, and other non-government organizations, and will help to:

  • Prioritize the results and recommendations from the National Statistics System (NSS) assessment; and
  • Discuss and come to a consensus on matters pertaining to the NSDS strategic framework such as the vision, mission, goals, and strategic objectives.

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Key Stakeholders attend the National Strategy for the Development of Statistics Validation and Strategic Planning workshop, Monday, February 19, 2018. (BIS Photo/Kristaan Ingraham)

DPM Turnquest explained that having a plan is not enough, by itself.

He said there are a number of other necessary activities that must be completed if the project is to be done properly, and it is going to be done properly.

The DPM said along with the plan, this year the Government will also conduct a NSS-wide Business Processes Review focused on detailed analysis of current (as-is) processes, identification of gaps, benchmarking with existing standards and best practice, and design of future (to-be) processes to enable a seamless, integrated, effective, and efficient National Statistics System.

This will also include an assessment of the information technology functional and technical capacity to deliver the kind of National Statistics System that you will all help to shape.

He said additionally, recognizing the human resource challenges faced, the government will also conduct a Human Resource (HR) audit that is expected to identify those areas of the Department of Statistics and the National Statistics System in need of improvement, as well as their strengths, while taking into consideration the proposed new structure for the Department of Statistics and the National Statistics System.

“It will include the review of various HR policies, systems, documentations, and rules and regulations and will assess the efficiency and productivity of employees. Additionally, various aspects of the HR department in the Department of Statistics, such as employee compensation, recruitment and training, employee perks, job descriptions, performance evaluation procedures, termination procedures, etc. will also be reviewed.”

DPM Turnquest told the participants that they were all chosen for a very specific reason.

“Your unique knowledge of the underlying issues that have us in the state that we are currently in with respect to official statistics is going to be vital for identifying the short, medium and long-term goals of this project; and, for its implementation in the very near future.

“Based on the findings of the assessment, it was determined that there is limited analysis and report writing that takes place using the data produced. This has contributed to a limited use of the data that is available for planning and evidence-based decision-making.”

He said, “Moving forward, you may determine that we must have, as a goal, greater use of statistics for policy, planning and decision-making. But you must also tell us whether, in order to achieve this, we must have short term objectives such as increasing awareness about the benefits of statistics to society, increasing user satisfaction, or other effective strategies.”

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