NBS robustly defends new statistics bill

National Bureau of Statistics director general Albina Chuwa speaks at a past event. PHOTO | FILE 

By Ludger Kasumuni,The Citizen Reporter

In Summary

• NBS director general Albina Chuwa says under the new bill no one is barred from publishing his or her findings provided that he or she does not contradict official statistics

Dar es Salaam. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has defended the 2013 Statistics Bill on the grounds that it has more room for enhancing research than what critics say.

NBS director general Albina Chuwa told journalists on the sidelines of an international workshop for statistics authorities here yesterday that under the new bill researchers, the media and academics were not barred from publishing their findings provided that they did not contradict official statistics.

According to Dr Chuwa, what is bad for researchers and the media is to give statistics which contradict official ones such as the gross domestic product, percentage of population living in the rural areas, life expectancy, birth rate, death rate and others that are important to measure economic and political performance.

“In fact the bill gives more room for NBS to cooperate with researchers and enhance private sector inclusion in preparation of vital statistics for spearheading people’s development. We are not for undermining activities of researchers as some people think,” she said.

Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda challenged NBS to work. “First, you have to give us statistical information that we want for the betterment of our people and secondly you should make statistical information simple and easily understandable by political leaders,” said the premier.

He also said that the new statistics bill passed by Parliament on March 26, this year would make NBS cope with worldwide changes and co-ordinate the production of official statistics more easily within the national statistics system.

He advised statisticians under NBS to explore possibilities and upscale their cooperation in working with local government authorities so as to improve data collection at lower level especially at village level. In her remarks delivered on behalf of the Finance minister, the minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (Local Government and Regional Administration, Ms Hawa Ghasia, said since official statistics are public goods they should be made available to any citizen who needs.