P&T minister says strengthening digital statistics system key to nation’s growth.

The member of government also challenged those in the sector to embrace continuous capacity-building and the use of modern technologies as an avenue to provide the country with robust human resources capable of driving growth.

Minister Libom Likeng was speaking in Yaounde yesterday. This was at the start of a two-day sectorial meeting on statistics in the postal, telecommunications and the Information and Communication Technologies, ICTs, sectors.

The gathering, organised by the ministry, held under the theme: “Statistics at the heart of Cameroon’s digital transformation: stakes, challenges and prospects”. 

It brought together authorities and stakeholders in the statistics sector. The opening ceremony was attended by the Minister of Employment and Vocational Training, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, and the Director General of the National Institute of Statistics, NIS, Joseph Tedou.

Discussions yesterday touched on the importance of digital economy statistics for the country’s development. 

Participants will also discuss on ways of improving the coordination between the various producers of statistics and the building of a trusted ecosystem for data sharing.

The gathering will also zoom on the vision of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications for the development of the digital economy and the need for statistics specific to the sector.

Harmonisation decisive 

Speaking to the press after the launch of the workshop, Minister Libom Likeng said the country has under the stewardship of President Biya, made groundbreaking strides in boosting national development through the use of digital statistics. 

She notably cited the partnership signed between the National Institute of Statistics and the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications in 2017.

The minister said the partnership resulted in the publication of the Telecommunications and ICT Statistical Yearbook which gave way for an improved coverage of the country statistically.

Libom Likeng also cited the renewal of the 2017 commitment in 2021 which she said demonstrated the determination to strengthen and make the statistical system more comprehensive and efficient.

Despite the efforts, Minister Libom Likeng said more still needs to further boost the statistics sector.

Topical among the things that the minister said needs to be done to attain the objective, is the harmonisation of the statistics system which she emphasised will guarantee consistency and comparability in the statistics system. 

“We have to work on how to harmonise the collection and analysis of digital statistics…,” Minister Libom Likeng said. 

She continued that: “All over the world today, the masters are those who master data. At the level of Cameroon, we produce a lot of data. But the data are captured differently on the hands of people who do not have our clear information. We need to harmonize so that the government and the country can have genuine statistics so that genuine policies will be adopted”.

Capacity-building also crucial

The minister also emphasised on the need to continuously upgrade the skills of professionals in the statistics system.

She said professionals in the sector need to undergo capacity building to get themselves up to date with best practices capable of opening doors for efficiency in the collection process. 

“We need to reinforce the capacities of the people in charge of the collection of data. We can no longer collect statistics like we used to do by carrying out investigations and using manual systems. We need platforms so that it will be easy,” she insisted. 

“We need data analysts. It means that the people who are involved in the collection of statistics must improve their capacities and be more technology-oriented,” the government official added.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post issue No:3254 of Wednesday October 09, 2024