Monday, March 19, 2018

Poverty assessment kicks off

LUDOVICK KAZOKA in Dodoma
. . . New technology to help National Bureau of Statistics save 10bn/-
THE National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) will conduct the Household Expenditure Survey from the end of this month to November, next year, which is aimed at establishing the state of poverty in the country. The initiative, funded by the World Bank, will cost 10bn/- which is half of the costs incurred in the previous survey.

The application of new technology in data collection namely Survey Solution or CAPI has helped the government to save 10bn/- from 20.1bn/- incurred for paper-based data collection in the previous survey.
NBS Director General, Dr Albina Chuwa noted here yesterday that the survey, which is conducted after every five years, will enable the government to assess implementation of different programmes focused on poverty eradication.
“The survey will provide the government with statistics from household level on social and economic activities, income and expenditure, the state of shelter and ownership of resources,” said the NBS Director General, during a training workshop to interviewers who will conduct the survey.
A total of 620 interviewers, who attended the training organised by NBS, will be deployed to 10,460 households in rural and urban areas in the Mainland, for the survey.
Dr Chuwa pointed out that NBS will by June, next year, start to release preliminary survey findings which will also include indicators of poverty, availability of clean water, education and communications from household to regional levels.
“The government will save the 10bn/- in this year’s Household Expenditure Survey after NBS switched to the application of new technology in data collection namely Survey Solution or CAPI,” she said.
Dr Chuwa noted that previously, the National Bureau of Statistics would use 20.1bn/- for paper-based data collection in such surveys. She said NBS will use the area estimation method in the survey at ward, constituency and district levels, adding that NBS will by December, next year, release final findings of the Household Expenditure Survey.
Speaking at the same event, Minister for Finance and Planning, Dr Philip Mpango, said the survey was vital for the government to assess II Phase of Five-Year Development Plan (2016/17-2020/21), saying previous surveys indicated the state of poverty had continued to decrease.
“The state of poverty decreased from 34 per cent in 2007 to 28.2 per cent in 2011/12,” said the Minister, who graced closing of the workshop.

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