By Juliet ETEFE
Amaris Statistical and Research Institute (AmariStat) has been launched to address capacity-building challenges and statistical gaps in Anglophone Africa.
The institute aims to provide timely technical support to National Statistical Offices (NSOs), disseminate data through an open platform, and produce thematic reports to inform policy decisions.
AmariStat’s primary objective is to support NSOs with a pre-emptive capacity-building framework, enabling benchmarking efforts across the African continent. The institute also aims to guide NSOs in incorporating a unified and structured capacity-building framework within their National Strategies for the Development of Statistics (NSDS).
Speaking at the launch held in Accra, Government Statistician at the Ghana Statistical Services, Prof. Samuel Kobina Annim, highlighted the success of similar programmes in Francophone West Africa and emphasised the need for Anglophone NSOs to adopt these initiatives to supplement efforts.
He noted the importance of the event for both statistical training and economic research, suggesting that the scope should be expanded to meet the comprehensive needs of all NSOs.
“It is crucial for us to have a programme that builds on what our colleagues on the West African continent are doing,” he stated.
He stressed that the conversation should focus on transforming lives rather than merely producing statistics.
Addressing the “cyclical fluctuations” in the development trajectories of the countries, including Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone, he called for interventions to revamp initiatives and provide context-specific data to halt these fluctuations.
“This is one of the interventions that will head toward revamping the initiatives to halt what I call cyclical fluctuations. If you go through our GDP growth rate across all these five countries, we have seen peaks and drops when it comes to our development; and there is a need for national statistical offices to provide context-specific data to halt those cyclical fluctuations.
“We hope this event will be a catalyst for transforming our practices from learning to impactful action,” he said.
Customised support
Dr. Emmanuel Fiadzo, the founder of AmariStat, reiterated that the move would help develop tailored programmes to address each country’s unique statistical needs, moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach.
He added that support will include leveraging expertise from international bodies to ensure effective and sustainable assistance.
“In terms of support, we are looking at providing a comprehensive range of assistance to the various institutions. This includes leveraging the expertise of a diverse group of experts, many of whom are affiliated with organisations like the World Bank, the European Union and other international bodies.
“These experts will bring their analytical skills and financial support to help individual countries meet their statistical capacity needs, ensuring that the assistance provided is both effective and sustainable,” he noted.
Independence and innovation
For his part, Oliver Chinganya, Director of the African Centre for Statistics at the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), in a speech, emphasised the need for independence, innovation and clarity in national statistical systems.
He highlighted the importance of impactfulness, knowledge and clear definitions of success in statistical practices.
He also advocated for the harmonisation of statistical definitions and the importance of packaging statistical products to meet policy-makers’ needs effectively.
The chief statistician also underscored the importance of leveraging new data sources and technologies, emphasising the necessity for statisticians to adapt to the rapidly-evolving data ecosystem. He called for strategic partnerships with tech companies like Google and Facebook to enhance data capabilities.
He urged AmariStat to focus on education, collaboration, advocacy, talent retention and adherence to international statistical frameworks to strengthen statistical systems across Africa.
