THERE is a great lack of appreciation in the use of statistics, says Fiji Bureau of Statistics CEO Kemueli Naiqama.
He told the Pacific Regional Tripartite Conference in Nadi yesterday “we need to change this around in order to appreciate statistics as a tool for sound decision-making”.
“This has been greatly felt in our own country in Fiji,” Mr Naiqama said. “We were governed in an era that avoids the sharing of information
“It creates an environment where government agencies tend to work in silos. And it avoids the opportunity for government agencies to share information for the betterment of our country and people.
“Issues that we intend to resolve whether it’s government, private sector, civil society organisations or non-governmental organisations.”
Mr Naiqama emphasised that the common denominator that could influence and appreciate the use of statistics were the people.
“We have to value the people. We have to create awareness programs, educate them. We have to improve their living standards, we have to look at their family structure, we have to encourage them to be prosperous in life.
“We need to monitor and evaluate our programs so that we can clearly define and appreciate the use of statistics.
“All of these factors need solutions and data sharing is the solution whether you are in government, whether you are in the private sector, civil society or non-governmental organisations.
“If data is readily available then we would focus towards designing for sustainability and progress.”