KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — The Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) is preparing a National Strategy for the Development of Statistics (NSDS) for Jamaica, which will provide a more coordinated approach in producing and disseminating data.

It will facilitate greater harmonisation among agencies that produce statistics, reducing duplication, and enabling the national statistical system to better respond to the increased demand for information.

“We need this because statistics in Jamaica is produced in a decentralised manner, with little or no coordination or standardisation in the system, resulting in duplication at times,” said Director General of STATIN, Carol Coy.

She was addressing a Think Tank at the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) head office in Kingston on Friday.

Coy said that this lack of coordination limits the ability of Jamaica’s national statistical system to respond to the data requirements of policy makers, businesses, and the public.

She noted that STATIN is not the only agency that produces statistics pointing to the Bank of Jamaica (BOJ), which provides data on monetary and financial areas; Ministry of Finance and Planning, which produces Government financial statistics; along with the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) and several other ministries.

“So the plan is to create a coordinated framework with harmonised concepts, definitions, methodologies, standards and classifications,” she pointed out.

Coy said the coordinated approach will improve production and dissemination of quality data in a timely manner, making information more readily available.

NSDS will contain a detailed action plan for the production and dissemination of statistics over a five to 10-year period, including capacity development needs, and required institutional and infrastructure improvements.

It will provide the country with a vision of the development of statistics consistent with Vision 2030 Jamaica – the National Development Plan.

STATIN will receive technical assistance from the Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century (PARIS21) in preparing the NSDS.

PARIS21 is a global partnership of national, regional and international statistics experts and policy makers seeking to improve evidence-based decision making in developing countries.

“One of its (PARIS21) core programmes is to support developing countries in the design, implementation and monitoring of statistics and this will allow developing countries like Jamaica to better respond to the increase demand for data,” Coy noted.

Jamaica is one of the PARIS21 priority countries for NSDS support.