Stats SL’s Key Achievements
Period: April 2018 – March 2019
Management with new Statistician General
- Strengthened collaboration with global development partners
o Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) – support for research activities
o Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (GPSDD) and the Africa Regional Data Cube (ARDC).
o UNFPA, World Bank, USAID, Global Fund, CDC, UNICEF, UNDP, and DFID – support for SLIHS, MICS 6 launch, DHS, Capacity Strengthening activities
o Chinese Embassy and JICA – Capacity strengthening and training
o Made the National Statistical System (NSS) one of three components of the proposed World Bank’s Statistics Project for Stats SL.
o UN Women – raised planning grant to develop a Project for the compilation of Gender Statistics including Gender-Based Violence.
o AfDB funded consultants for mid-term review of National Strategy for the Development of Statistics II and study tours by Stats SL staff, five each to national statistics offices in Uganda and Rwanda.
o IMF maintained technical support to Stats SL. - Successfully partnered with organisations across Sierra Leone to bring better information about Sierra Leone
o Successfully advocated to the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development to make the NSS an integral part of the Mid-Term National Development Plan, ensuring better decision making for Sierra Leone. Worked closely with MoPED on SDG tracking and reporting.
o The Immigration Department to provide training on migration policy and data collection on migration statistics.
o Ministry of Basic and Secondary School Education – to collect data for the National School Census
o Ministry of Health and Sanitation – both to implement the DHS and to implement the Public Health Surveillance Systems survey
o National Commission for Democracy – to produce the State of Democracy Report
o National HIV/AIDS Secretariat – supporting the DHS data collection activities
o Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation – provided data and technical support for DSTI’s spatial analyses projects.
o The Sierra Leone Police to produce key statistics on crime, traffic management, and road safety data analysis.
o Ministry of Tourism and Culture – Conducted national census for spatial and attribute data collection of tourist and cultural sites.
o National Revenue Authority – Joint proposal with NRA funded with Le6bn to conduct a rental property census.
o Ministry of Finance – Worked with the research department on research capacity and data analysis and participated in relevant meetings.
o Research Department, Bank of Sierra Leone – supported the Bank with data and participated in relevant meetings.
o National Civil Registration Authority – participated in the biometric verification of Government workers and worked closely together in various areas of mutual interest.
o National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA) Social Safety Net (SSN) Qualitative Assessment study funded by the World Bank implemented. - Worked to make Sierra Leone a leader among low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in ensuring full transparency of data and development and in using data to ensure achievements targeting the SDGs. This will help Sierra Leone collaborate with countries across the Global South and North and help sustain our development path.
o Developed and submitted Stats SL Proactive Disclosure Scheme as requested by the 2013 RAI Act, which made Stats SL one of the few NSOs in Africa to implement a Publication Scheme proactively.
o Helped Sierra Leone move upwards (from position 122 in 2018 to 86 in 2019) in the Open Data Inventory (ODIN) 2018/19, by demonstrating Sierra Leone’s commitment to the coverage and openness of official statistics to help identify gaps, promote open data policies, improve access and encourage dialogue among National Statistical offices (NSOs) and data users in 178 countries, including almost all OECD countries.
o Collaborated with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF), Environment Protection Agency (EPA) and the Right to Access Information Commission (RAIC) to address data gaps for SDG Goals 13 and 14 on Climate change and Environment.
o Strengthened Stats SL’s international reputation and visibility by presenting the situation of multidimensional child poverty in Sierra Leone at the UN Statistical Commission in New York.
o Won Stats SL a permanent membership of the Expert Group on Measuring Violence against Children in New York, further garnishing Stats SL’s international reputation
o Cemented Stats SL’s international reputation and visibility at the WHO in Geneva, Switzerland, when Stats SL’s work in conducting verbal autopsies for under-five’s was presented at the Maternal and Child Epidemiology Estimation Group Meeting. - Ensured technical expertise available and supported the collection of essential routine data about Sierra Leone
o Consumer Price Index (CPI) monthly data
o Producer Price Index (PPI) data
o Business Confidence Survey
o Foreign Trade data. We process trade data from customs ASCUDA++ using EUROTRACE Software. We work with stakeholders to harmonize the system of trade data compilation in the country
o Agriculture data
o National Accounts data
o Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by production, expenditure and income approaches. Using the SNA-93 to compile GDP and other aggregates. We compiled and disseminated the final figures for 2017 in September 2018. GDP in line with the ICP-Africa Project of the AfDB
o Implemented Hep B Household Listing exercise
o Technical and Logistical support provided for the DHS Household Listing exercise
o Reproduction of enumeration areas (EA), AO and other map specifications for Stats SL and external clients for data collection, research and planning. - Launched new initiatives and completed others to collect better data and strengthen development across Sierra Leone
o Commenced the four-year COMSA project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which seeks to undertake mortality surveillance in Sierra Leone using a Sample Registration System (SRS).
o Successfully launched, nationally the 2017 Sierra Leone Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey Report, which was the first of the sixth round of MICS surveys to be conducted globally, clearly placing Sierra Leone as a global leader in the current data landscape.
o Successfully completed the data collection for the Sierra Leone Integrated Household Survey (SLIHS) 2018 that produces poverty figures for Sierra Leone.
o Contributed to the development of the new Multidimensional Poverty Index for Sierra Leone, funded by UNDP, in collaboration with the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development. - Ensured essential transparency for Stats SL, to make it a leader amongst LMICs
o Provided effective, transparent and accountable Leadership to Management and Staff in the executive of Stats SL operations.
o Developed processes of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) across Stats SL.
o Worked closely with the Chairman of the Statistics Council and the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development to regain institutional credibility and visibility.
o Compiled and submitted on time Stats SL Annual Report to the parliamentary committee on development and economic planning and to the Cabinet Secretary.
o Completed first, second and third quarterly 2018 financial year (FY) internal audit.
o Increased effectiveness and transparency of procurement processes through strengthening of the procurement committee.
o Introduced an integrity management committee (IMC) that works with Anti-Corruption Commission
o Ensured more efficient management of the institution’s assets
o Submitted Annual Financial Report for 2017 and 2018 to Accountant General and Auditor General.
o Submitted financial reports for all projects and activities undertaken in 2017 and 2018 to the relevant stakeholders especially development partners.
o Undertook financial management activities for all GosL funded activities as well as those funded by development partners
o Prepared and submitted on time Stats SL Annual budget FY 2017 and 2018 and took part in the bilateral budget discussions.
o Discussed with the Appropriation Committee of Parliament for the approval of Stats SL budget.
o Submitted requests for all funds due Stats SL to Ministry of Finance and other development partners.
o Supported internal audit processes and implemented internal audit recommendations. - Strengthened Capacity at Stats SL, in Freetown and in offices across Sierra Leone
o Training of eighteen (18) staff for the hepatitis B household listing exercise using electronic hand held devices (phone).
o Training of sixty (60) Stats SL staff for the DHS household listing exercise using tablets.
o Monitored the 2018 SLIHS data entry clerks in data capture at district level
o Trained data entry staff on Developing CS Pro dictionary
o Designed data capture template for Cash Transfer Survey
o Trained field staff and Monitored 2018 DHS listing exercise
o Facilitated the training of forty (40) staff of the family support unit (FSU) from the Sierra Leone police force on Data management by Stats SL.
o Facilitated the training of staff from the procurement, finance and internal audit departments on World Bank procurement issues in October 2018
o Coordinated the five-day Stats SL Regional internal training programme on STATA statistical software for 22 Stats SL district staff in Bo city from 4th -8th march 2019
o Coordinated the two day Stats SL Regional internal training programme on vehicular regulations and maintenance for 4 Stats SL drivers in Bo city from 4th -5th march 2019.
o Started the refurbishment of the HQ building to create a conducive work environment.
Source: Statistics Sierra Leone
