National Bureau Of Statistics (NBS) - News Agency Of Nigeria

Tosin Kolade
Dec, Wed, 2024

FG pledges to strengthen healthcare system

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By Nana Musa

The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to improving Nigeria’s healthcare system.

Mr Adeyemi Adeniran, Chief Executive Officer of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), made this statement on Wednesday during the launch of the National Health Facility Survey (NHFS) Report 2023 in Abuja.

Adeniran stated that the NHFS 2023 builds on the 2016 and 2019 surveys, using improved tools to assess service availability and health facilities’ readiness to deliver essential services.

“This latest report includes several improvements, particularly in data collection methods from selected health facilities nationwide.

“These enhancements provide a comprehensive framework for assessing service availability and evaluating the readiness of facilities to deliver effective healthcare,” Adeniran said.

He noted the inclusion of Service Delivery Indicators (SDIs) developed in collaboration with the World Bank and the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC), which focus on primary healthcare delivery.

According to Adeniran, the SDIs promote accountability, enhance governance, and enable targeted interventions for better healthcare outcomes.

He acknowledged the persistent challenges in Nigeria’s healthcare system, including inadequate funding, outdated infrastructure, and a shortage of skilled personnel.

“Many Nigerians still face difficulties accessing quality healthcare, particularly in rural areas. Despite various reforms and investments by the government and development partners, significant challenges remain,” Adeniran said.

He listed issues such as infant mortality rates of 63 per 1,000 live births (as per the latest National Health and Demographic Survey) and widespread shortages of essential medicines.

“These ongoing issues hinder the provision of equitable healthcare to all Nigerians, especially in underserved areas,” he added.

Adeniran also noted the growing migration of healthcare professionals to countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom in pursuit of better salaries, working conditions, and career prospects.

This trend, he said, has further strained the healthcare system by exacerbating the shortage of skilled workers.

He emphasised the importance of the NHFS report in addressing these challenges, describing it as an essential resource for policymakers and healthcare administrators.

“The data in this report provides an insightful analysis of the current state of health facilities and offers evidence-based recommendations for informed decision-making.

“By leveraging this information, we can implement targeted interventions to address urgent issues, especially at the primary healthcare level,” he stated.

Prof. Muhammad Pate, Coordinating Minister of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, described the event as a pivotal moment for the country’s health sector.

Represented by the Minister of State, Dr Iziaq Salako, Pate highlighted the survey’s significance, stating that the findings offer invaluable insights into the preparedness and capacity of health facilities to deliver essential services.

“This survey used the WHO’s Service Availability and Readiness Assessment (SARA) tool and the World Bank’s SDI to evaluate the performance of over 3,000 public health facilities nationwide,” Pate said.

He noted that the findings shine a light on the strengths and gaps in Nigeria’s healthcare system, particularly in primary and secondary facilities, which serve the majority of the population.

“These insights are crucial for shaping policies and interventions that will improve healthcare outcomes for all Nigerians,” Pate added.

The report, he said, serves as a guide for future investments and targeted efforts to address service delivery gaps, improve healthcare infrastructure, and enhance the overall quality of care.

“By using this data strategically, we can focus our resources on areas where they are most needed, ensuring better healthcare services for all Nigerians, regardless of location or socio-economic status,” he concluded. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Kadiri Abdulrahman

Use statistics to tell Africa’s story- Bagudu

Tosin Kolade
Nov, Tue, 2024

Economy/Business

Use statistics to tell Africa’s story- Bagudu

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By Okeoghene Akubuike

Sen. Abubakar Bagudu, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, has urged the African statistical systems to use statistics to tell the African story.

Bagudu said this at the 2024 African Statistics Day Celebration, organised by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in Abuja on Monday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the Day is ‘Supporting Education by Modernising the Production of Fit-For-Purpose Statistics’.

He said there were calls for Africa to create its own credit rating agency which would adequately capture the realities of the continent.

The minister said this had become necessary because the methodologies used by some of the rating agencies were not known.

According to him, the African statistical system must help us tell the African story, and the African story is that of hard-working men and women.

“We are not going to wait for someone to develop a methodology for us to say it. That is as fit- for purpose as it could be.

“That at 4 am, a woman is carrying a child on her back, going to the farm or fishing ground, or moving around with livestock or by the roadside roasting corn or plantain, and this is as hardworking as it can be.

“But yet the global credit system has excluded these hard-working women.

“Yet maybe somewhere a woman who wakes up at 11 am and works for five hours a day some statistical system is likely to accord her more avenues for inclusion.

“Who should say this, who should tell the world this? Not only is she hardworking, she is honorable and this is the picture across our continent.

Bagudu said there was a need to reverse these statistics that put the continent in a bad light or “show us as otherwise”.

He said this was important so the world capital market could appreciate that Africa is a continent of hardworking men and women.

“Also, that we have governmental systems in Africa that ensure statistical systems are independent”.

The minister said the “sanctity of data” is the watchword of President Tinubu-led administration.

“We have recognised and given independence to NBS; we have never sought to interfere with the formation, timing and release of data.

“We are not where we want to be but let us confront our reality and make choices pleasant and unpleasant.

“This will help us reach where we want to, and data systems can help us, and this is the African story,” he said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Maureen Atuonwu

Education: FG committed to technology-driven data in sector

Muhyideen Jimoh
Nov, Tue, 2024

Economy/Business

Education: FG committed to technology-driven data in sector

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By Okeoghene Akubuike

The Statistician-General of the Federation, Adeyemi Adeniran, says the Federal Government is committed to producing accurate and reliable data in the education sector by adopting technology.

Adeniran said this at the 2024 African Statistics Day celebration organised by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in Abuja on Monday.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that the theme of the Day is “Supporting Education by Modernising the Production of Fit-For-Purpose Statistics.”

The statistician-general said the theme was a clear reminder of one of the major issues facing the African Statistical System and, by extension, the global system.

Adeniran said these challenges were in light of recent changes and advancements in the data ecosystem which was being driven by technology.

He said traditional methods and statistics were inadequate and innovative approaches and information were needed to address the challenges in today’s world, including that of the education sector.

“As the Coordinator of the statistical system in Nigeria, I am glad that members of the system are already realising the fact, that we must innovate, adapt, and change.

“ We must make these changes if we are to remain relevant in providing policymakers and all users with timely, relevant and reliable data.

“At NBS, we have adopted the mantra of innovation to stay relevant in meeting the demands of our mandate.

“This is in line with the Data Innovation Lab (DIL) initiative of the African Development Bank and the Roadmap for the transformation and modernisation of official statistics in Africa being championed by the African Centre for Statistics.”

Adeniran said the NBS had set up a Data Innovation Desk within the Bureau to advance, monitor, and track all data innovation initiatives across its production and dissemination processes.

“All of these are in a bid to ensure that we provide the right data, which is a critical tool for development to all our users in a timely manner and in a way that is useful and suited to their needs.”

On the theme for the celebration, he said NBS had made some strides in that regard.

Adeniran said in the 2022 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS-6) that data was collected for the first time on children aged three and above, expanding from the previous focus on those aged five and above.

According to him, this effort alone has resulted in more robust information on early childhood development in Nigeria, which is in line with the National Education Policy.

Adeniran said the NBS had supported several programmes in the development of the education sector which includes the Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA).

Others, he said, included a pilot programme which would use technology to strengthen the collation, validation and dissemination of administrative statistics across Federal Ministries Departments and Agencies(MDAs)

Adeniran said the programme, supported by the World Bank, would start with 15 MDAs and education statistics had been chosen as one of the focus areas in the pilot.

“By the end of the exercise, there will be a significant enhancement in the quality and accessibility of administratively generated education statistics in Nigeria.

“This will ensure that users, most especially, those involved in designing, implementing and monitoring educational-related policies and programmes, have unfettered access to this information to support their work.”

Jutaro Sakamoto, UNICEF’s Education Manager in Nigeria, said there was a need to improve education data in Nigeria, saying it was not often accurate, robust, timely and used for decision-making.

The consequences, Sakamoto said, would undermine the effectiveness and accountability of policy actions.

He pledged UNICEF’s commitment to support the Nigerian government in transforming the education data governance ecosystem in Nigeria. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Vivian Ihechu