WASHINGTON, March 30, 2017 – The World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved an International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) loan of $50 million equivalent to strengthen Gabon’s statistical system.
The Statistical Development Project will help fill key data gaps, improve statistical production, and enhance statistical dissemination practices. Ultimately, it will help improve evidence-based decision making and development impacts.
“Statistical capacity in Gabon is very weak and has deteriorated over the past decade. The need for more recent statistical information is a recurrent demand constantly expressed by both national and international users of statistics. This project will support the national capacity for the production and dissemination of statistics,” said Sylvie Dossou, World Bank Country Manager for Gabon.
Through this project the Bank is also supporting the ongoing institutional reform process of the statistical system the government started a few years ago.
The main beneficiaries are the Gabon Statistical System, the Government, and the general public of Gabon. The National statistical System will directly benefit from support to carry out some statistical and coordination activities and their staff will learn in the process. The staff of the General Directorate of Statistics will also benefit from improved working conditions and management system.
“With improved statistical information, ministries, as well as development partners, will be better able to manage for development results. The capacity to manage will improve through the provision of more accurate and timely statistical information, particularly on poverty, inflation, GDP, health, employment, and agriculture,” said Abdoullahi Beidou, Senior Economist/Statistician and Task Team Leader for the project.
The first component of the Statistical Development Project will support improved data collection, statistical production, and dissemination. Specifically, it aims to fill critical data gaps, expand and improve statistical production, and enhance data accessibility and dissemination practices. The second component is to strengthen the overall technical capacity and skills of staff and modernize the infrastructure, especially at the new National Statistical Agency. The third component aims to support implementation of the ongoing statistical institutional reform and ensure that there is adequate capacity for project management.
