Tujoromajo Kasuto
The Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) Sustainable Development Goals Indicator Framework report reveals that the absence of data management systems and skilled statisticians in the National Statistical System (NSS) remain a serious challenge in ensuring that data requested from data providers in the NSS is submitted in a timely and accurate manner.
Thus, NSA is working towards the implementation of Data Management Systems and Skilled Statisticians in the NSS, which is the ensemble of statistical organizations and units within a
country that jointly produce statistics on behalf of the national government.
Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, today at the launch of the SDG Indicator
Framework and Data Portal said the availability of timely and quality data impacts on the monitoring and evaluation of the SDGs.
‘’The availability of timely and quality data impacts on the monitoring and evaluation.
Therefore, the Government is committed to strengthen support to statistical systems in the country, in order to maintain a comprehensive national indicator framework driven by specific and measurable national policy priorities,’’ she said.
The launch of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) indicator Framework and Data Portal for Namibia is to measure the progress made towards the 17 goals and 169 targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and to capture data to monitor and evaluate the implementation.
Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said the availability of timely and quality data impacts on the effectiveness with which the developmental agenda is implemented.
The version of the framework launched today presents the first update of the SDGs-NDP5-Indicator Framework of 2019 and it complements Namibia’s Second Voluntary National Review Report on the Implementation of the SDGs towards Agenda 2030.
The Prime Minister said it is evident that Namibia has achieved significant milestones since the SDGs came into effect in January 2016.
Amongst the milestones she mentioned are the publication of the SDGs Baseline Report which was also published in Braille Language, the SDGs Indicator Framework and the two Voluntary National Report.
Additionally, the launch of the SDGs Data Portal and Data Hub, as well as the mainstreaming of SDGs into national planning.
According to the report, timely submission of data for SDGs monitoring, relevance and completeness of submitted data, capacity at the regional and county level has been a challenge.
‘’Increased management engagement will be important to ensure that OMAs reply to requests for data reporting on the SDGs. The NSA plans to engage data providers more actively on the methodology underlying the indicators for which they hold reporting responsibilities,’’ the report states.
Furthermore, ‘’capacity buildings programmes aimed at strengthening the abilities of regional and country governments to mainstream SDGs into their planning, budgeting, implementation as well as monitoring and evaluation frameworks will be crucial for ensuring an increased localization of the SDGs in Namibia.’’
The report however notes that since 2019, Namibia has not conducted significant national-level surveys, mainly due to financial constraints and as a result of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
‘’This has contributed towards the decrease in the share of indicators that are provided by national sources, this share stood at 52.4 percent in 2021, a decline compared to the 58.6 percent recorded in 2019.’’
