PARIS21, AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK, UNECA

1. PARIS21, AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK, UNECA NSDS briefing session for English-speaking consultants resident in Africa Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 8-11 August 2005 Zimbabwe experience in statistical development Moffat Nyoni Central Statistical Office, Zimbabwe

2. Background History The Beginning • The Central Statistical Office is recognised to have been founded in 1929 • Prior to 1929 different statistics had been produced in different ministries. • These included population censuses (earliest in 1902 for non-indigenous population), agriculture and international trade. • By Independence in 1980 the Department was a “grade 1” department in the Ministry of Finance.

3. Background History (continued) From Independence in 1980 to 1995 • In 1980 the Department of Census and Statistics was moved from the Ministry of Finance to the newly created Ministry of Economic Development, still as a grade one department. • Being a grade one department meant that • (i) the head of department was slightly below the permanent secretary level but above the deputy secretary level, • (ii) professional staff with suitable degrees started at a salary level higher than that at which graduates started in ministries.

4. Background History (Continued) 1980 to 1995 (continued) • There was a large inflow of donor soon after independence. • These included the British Overseas Development Programme (ODA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UNFPA, USAID, SIDA and NORAD.

5. Background History (continued)1980 to 1995 (continued) • The department improved with respect to a number attributes. • A number of systems that had virtually collapsed due to the war were revived. These included national accounts and basic economic statistics that feed into it. • New statistical systems were started. These included:

6. Background History (continued) 1980 to 1995 (continued) • An in integrated household surveys system was started under the United Nations Household Surveys Capability Programme. Specific surveys under this programme include; • (i) an annual Agriculture and Livestock Survey (ALS). This collected data on agricultural and livestock production in Communal Lands for the first time. • (ii) an Income, Consumption and Expenditure Survey (ICES), once every five years approximately. • (iii) an Inter-Census Demographic and Survey (ICDS), once every ten years, • (iv) an Indicator Monitoring and Labour Force Survey.

7. Historical Background (continued)1980 to 1995 (continued) • Some other surveys such as the Site Sentinel Surveys, previous ICPs and other ad hoc surveys also used the same vehicle. • Gender, environment, judicial and crime statistics were other types of statistics introduced during this period. • Input output tables which had been last produced in 1964 were also started.

8. Historical Background (continued)1980 to 1995 (continued) • Between 1993 and 1995 a number of events took place whose combined effects have been very detrimental to the development of statistics in Zimbabwe since then: • (i) The Department of Census and Statistics was moved from the Ministry of Finance to the relatively new National Economic Planning Commission in the Office of the President and Cabinet. • This at face value should have elevated the status of the CSO. It achieved the reverse. It increased the layers of bureaucratic authority above it. Reduced the independence of the office. • (ii) A number of experienced officers who had also benefited from the donor assisted capacity building of the 1980s was dismissed en-mass • (iii) The Public Service Commission carried out job evaluation exercise which removed the grade one status of the department. The head of department is now at the third level in the civil service. Down from second level. Professional statisticians leave to join ministries. The reverse used to be the case.

9. Historical Background (continued)1996 to 2003 At the end of 1995 a new management was put in place. • It faced • (i) high and increasing staff turnover • (ii) low morale among remaining members of staff • (iii) low and decreasing response rates to the department’s questions • (iv) inadequate resources to carry out surveys, make follow ups to its questionnaires and process the collected • (v) very low public esteem feeding a vicious circle

10. Historical Background (continued)1996 to 2003 (continued) • Immediate efforts were concentrated on reviving some critical series such as national accounts and external trade statistics. • Despite donor support little headway made due to high staff turnover and low response rates and hence lack of basic data. • Early recognition of strategic approach • User-producer and strategic planning workshops held in 1998. • Semi-autonomy identified as major strategic direction capable of addressing the problems of the office holistically, in resulting 1999 to 2003 strategic plan document.

11. 1996 to 2003 • As part of its implementation of the government privitisation and commercialisation programme, PSC identified CSO for commercialisation, at the same time. • Green light to go the autonomous was not forthcoming from NEPC till its absorption by Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (MoFED) in 2000. • MoFED sent a team on a study tour to countries with experience in autonomy of statistical agencies. • Uganda and Tanzania visited in 2002. • Team’s report recommends CSO to go autonomous. • Report’s recommendations accepted verbally by MoFED in 2003.

12. 2004 to 2005 • From late 2003 the search for international consultants to assist in the work of transformation, with UNDP assistance, started. • MoFED started putting pressure on CSO to transform speedily without international assistance, if necessary. • In that attempt a User Producer workshop was held

13. The Organisation of the Current Transformation Exercise. • Initially there were three Task Teams: • (i) User Producer Task Team • (ii) Strategic Planning Task Team • (iii) Transformation Task Team • The User Producer Task Team orgarnised a User-Producer workshop late in 2004. • The Strategic Planning Task Team drafted a successor Strategic Plan to the 1999 to 2003 plan using the User Producer Workshop report and internal consultations as inputs.

14. Current Organisation (continued) • The Transformation Task Team drafted a layman’s version of the new Statistics Act to give birth to and govern the operations of new autonomous organisation plus an organisation chart. • Each of the teams reported to the Management Committee and to the Acting Director in between meetings of the Management Committee. • The Management Committee would instruct the task teams on the work to be done and subsquently receive reports from them. • For example management decided that the Transformation Committee should use the South African Statistics Act as a basis for drafting the Zimbabwe Act. • Now the Transformation and Strategic Planning Task teams have been merged into the Transformation Task Team.

15. Assistance From International Consultant, Professor Ben Kiregyera • Between 13 and 18 June CSO was at last lucky to obtain the services of an international consultant Professor Ben Kiregyera. • A lot of his input can be gleaned from the document, which has been distributed, “Design Process For The National Strategy For The Development Of Statistics (NSDS) For Zimbabwe.

16. The consultant reviewed the draft act in detail making deletions and insertions. The major revision though was in direction: Instead of concentrating on the National Statistical Office (NSO), design a strategy for a national statistical system and provide for that in the act. Involve and get the commitment of all stakeholders at all stages.

17. Assistance From Consultant (continued) • Provide for mechanisms for monitoring the implementation of the NSDS

18. THE ROAD MAP • The Paper has been distributed • The Ministry of Economic Development to which CSO now reports wants the Department out of the Public Service by the end of 2005