CSA

Celebrating African Statistics Day and

The 50th Anniversary Commemoration of Central Statistical Agency

Samia Zekaria

23 November 2012

CSA Outline

1.Rationale to celebrate African Statistics Day

2.Central Statistics Agency in the Past 50 years

1. Institutional and Human Resource Development

2.The Role of Modern Technology

3. IT based data capturing and dissemination

3. Concluding Remarks

CSA

1. Rationale to celebrate African Statistics Day

• To increase public awareness about the important role which statistics play in all aspects of social and economic life on the continent.

• Since 1990, November 18 is commemorated as African Statistics Day by NSO of Africa;

• This day was adopted by the UNECA and African Ministers responsible for Economic Planning and Development to be celebrated each year.

CSA 1. Theme is Engendering Statistics

• In the past seven years the CSA has celebrated this Day with different themes.

• This year’s theme is Making every Woman and Man Count: Engendering Statistics for Better Development Outcomes.

• Gender statistics are crucial for evidence-based policy making, for monitoring trends and progress in women’s empowerment, also and reducing gender inequalities.

• The current theme perfectly fits with CSA’s plan as it is embarking to undertake the “Time Use Survey” for the first time which will enable us to produce Gender Statistics.

CSA 2. Central Statistics Agency in

the Past 50 Years

2.1 Institutional and Human Resource Development

CSA 2.1 Human Resource Development

• The CSA was established in 1962 with a total number of 14 staff out of which 3 were professionals.

• The number of professional staff which was less than 20 until 1966 has grown up to 339 in past 50 years.

• In the past 10 years the number of professional grown up from 135 in 2001 to 339 in 2012.

CSA 2.1 Financial Resources

The budget that was allocated by the Government to run the office and undertake survey operations was less than a quarter of one million in 1962 which gradually grown up to 10 million in 1990s that stood up now at 158 million Birr.

•Whenever Censuses are conducted the budget is much more higher than that allocated in any one year over time.

CSA 2.1 Institutional Capacity - BSO

• There were no any Branch Statistical Offices (BSO) and all field operations were undertaken from the HQ until 1980s.

• 14 BSOs were set up with limited number of staff members with not more than 3-5 personnel.

• Currently, there are 25 BSOs that are headed by professional personnel with the necessary support staff since 2001.

• .

CSA 2.1 Institutional Capacity – BSO

• Each BSO has 3-7 professional staff in addition to a number of sub- professional permanent supervisors. Enumerator supervisor ratio is 3:1 which was 5:1 four years ago.

• The required numbers of enumerators based on the sample size of a survey recruited every year on contractual basis to reside in the sample site

CSA 2. Undertaking Socio-economic Survey

• In 1963 Household Consumption and Expenditure survey was conducted in selected three urban centers i.e. A.A, Dire Dawa and Asmara. Based on this survey expenditure weights were obtained to construct the first ever CPI for A.A.

• This was the only historical CPI that served the country for over 30 years until the 1995/96.

CSA 2. Capacity to Conduct Surveys Annually

• Conducting one survey with national level coverage used to take up to four consecutive years to complete in the late 1960s.

• Starting from early 1980s annual agricultural sample surveys and a number socio-economic surveys were undertaken annually under Integrated Household Survey Program.

• In the past 20 years the Agency is able to conduct more that 11 surveys with national level coverage annually under its medium term national program followed by the NSDS.

CSA2.1 Outputs of Various Surveys

• In 2001/02, the first ever Agricultural Sample Census was conducted.

• In addition to annual agricultural sample surveys, various socio- economic surveys are conducted periodically: i.e. 3 rounds of EDHS, 4 rounds of HICE and WMS, and national labor force surveys could be cited as good examples.

• Currently, the CSA is able to provide regional and country level CPI every month on timely manner by updating the expenditure weights every 5 years.

CSA 2. Capacity to Undertake Censuses

• 1984 and 1994 the PHC were conducted for the first and second time in the country but the CSA had to abandon all its annual surveys except price surveys in order to mobilize all its resources.

• However, in 2007 the third PHC was conducted without interrupting the Agency’s regular surveys by building its capacity.

CSA

2. Improving Scope and Coverage of Business Statistics

• Large and medium scale manufacturing survey has been conducted annually in the past 40 years- the quality and timeliness is also improving gradually.

• Small scale manufacturing and micro enterprises surveys are conducted periodically.

• Survey like construction and distributive trade surveys are also conducted periodically.

CSA 2.1 Data Quality and Standardization of Statistics

• The ongoing efforts in coordinating the national statistical system (NSS) through the development and implementation of the Ethiopian Data Quality Assessment Framework and the development of common statistical standards, classification and concepts is envisaged to minimize the data inconsistencies from different sectors.

• In the past two years, the CSA has been engaged to work with the members of NSS in addressing the problems related with data inconsistencies through training and creating awareness among data producers.

CSA

2.2 The Role of Modern Technology in the Development of Statistics

CSA 2.2 The IBM Series

• The first computer system utilized by CSA was the IBM System/3 with12k CPU which accepts data from 96 column punch card some 48 years ago.

CSA

• These types of machines were obtained on a rental basis to process Price surveys and small sized socio economic surveys by the system;

• About two million punch cards were utilized per annum;

2.2 The IBM Series

CSA

• The IBM machines used to utilize 1200 feet and 2400 feet tapes to store the electronic data

2.2 The IBM Series

CSA 2.2 The Main Frame System

• The CSA migrated to HP main frame system since1982.

• This was a great improvement in the system compared to the 12k CPU IBM machines

• CSA has utilized this system to process various surveys including the 1984 Population and Housing Census.

CSA

• Two sets of tape drives were used to back up data on a weekly basis using a 2400 feet tape units

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2.2 The Main Frame System

CSA 2.2 The Stand Alone PC System

• The PC based system was not introduced well until 1994

• The CSA decided to process the 1994 Population and

Housing Census on a PC system

• After the population census the CSA was encouraged to implement PCs for all of its survey processing.

• All of CSA’s survey migrated to a PC based system

since 1995. As a result, the HP main frame system had been decided to be out of function.

CSA

• 1995 can be considered the turning point in utilizing computers for betterment of the CSA activities.

• The capacity and the speed of PCs utilization at the CSA followed by the fast growing of computer technology contributed a lot in the development of statistics of the country.

• The CSA has used all the Pentium generations available in the market.

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2.2 The Stand Alone PC System

CSA 2.2 Network Environment

• The PC system used until 2004 at the CSA was a stand alone system and the resource sharing and efficient communication was a serious problem.

• This arose the necessity of establishing a reliable Local Area Network (LAN) and CSA established its LAN in 2004.

CSA

The network that CSA had in the past can be described having a flat topology

3. Network Environment

CSA

• The CSA has currently improved its network structure for the better and connected all its 25 BSOs with the HQ.

• This network is designed to have a hierarchical topology, using different broadcast domains by using VLANs.

3. Network Environment

CSA 2.2 Current Network Environment

CSA Integrated Management Information System is data base that is being established in CSA and selected Sector Ministries to enable data user to get access to micro-data in one repository. It would enable data users to exploit and make use of available data that is sitting idle.

CSA

2.3 IT Based Data Capturing and Dissemination

CSA2.3 Data Capturing with Stand Alone PC System

One of the time consuming process in census data processing activity is data capturing.

The data capturing activity of the first population census of Ethiopia needed about two years using a main frame system

The second population census took more than a year using a stand alone PC system involving 180 data entry clerks using 90 PCs.

CSA

• Scanning technology was implemented for data capturing of the 2007 Population and Housing Census.

• More than 95 percent of the population data was captured within four months.

2.3 Data Capturing with Scanning Technology

CSA

The PS900 iM2 scanner used had the following features

2.3. Data Capturing with Scanning Technology

CSA 2.3 Data Capturing Using GPS

CSA 2.3 Data Capturing Using PDA

CSA 2.3 Data Capturing using CAPI

CSA 2.3 Hard Copy Dissemination

CSA

• IT based archiving and dissemination system was made possible since 2004.

• A Central Databank has been established for the micro-data and documentation files covering about 100 surveys;

• Over 100 surveys have been archived using the World Bank Micro-data Management Toolkit ,

• CSA is able to disseminate its statistical information through its official website

2.3 IT Based Dissemination System

CSA

Our website visitors are growing from time to time which hits around 1.1 million On the average 300-400 visitors hit it per day.

2.3 IT Based Dissemination System

CSA

• CD-ROM products have been prepared and a CD based electronic dissemination system has been put in place

2.3 IT Based Dissemination System

CSA

• The EthioInfo database has been established to provides important indicators online;

2.3 IT Based Dissemination System

CSA

• The NADA system with its efficient cataloging system is set to be available on the internet

2.3 IT Based Dissemination System

CSA

Advantage of GIS as a Dissemination Tool:

•Its ability of integrating data from many different sources.

•It allows identifying the spatial relationships between map features to easily analyze and visualize the data;

•Its ability of organizing data for more sensitive and intelligent decision making.

2.3 Introducing the GIS System

CSA

• Different spatial data analysis were made and various maps have been produced as shown below:

• Ethiopian Rural Economy Atlas

• 2004 Welfare Monitoring Survey Atlas;

• 2007 Population Census Atlas

• 2011 Rural Basic Facilities Atlas; and …. etc

2.3 Introducing the GIS System

CSA

• The Production of Atlas of Ethiopian Rural Economy

2.3 Introducing the GIS System

CSA

• Digitized Wereda map that shows each EA with in the Wereda are produced

2.3 Introducing the GIS System

CSA

3. Concluding Remarks

CSA 3. Concluding Remarks

What the impact of Modern Technology on CSA?• The CSA has proved the implementation of these modern

technology have contributed a lot in the improvement of statistics in terms of timeliness and quality.

• The Agency has moved one milestone with IT based statistics from punch card to using satellite imagery

• The CSA should acquire and utilize these and other products of modern technology at full scale.

CSA 3. Concluding Remarks

• Due to resource constraints the CSA could not fully migrate to such technologies as GPS, PDA, CAPI.. Etc

• The CSA would like to thank all Development Partners for assisting the CSA in acquiring and utilizing these modern technologies in terms Financial and Technical supports.

CSA 3. Concluding Remarks

• With continued support of development partners, the CSA is committed to fully implement IT based statistics in order to produce timely and credible statistics.

• Continues investment in building human capital of the CSA is also crucial for the development of statistics.

• Creating favorable working environment is another factor that improves staff productivity both at the HQ and BSO.

CSA 3. Concluding Remarks

Where are we heading?

• To be a center of excellence and credible in producing accurate, timely and relevant statistical data.

To establish training and research center. Implement data quality assurance in the

NSS and minimize the data gap. To be clearing house of official statistics

through certifying the statistical outputs produced by NSS.

CSA

THANK YOU