Mid-Term Review of Cooperation between National Statistics Office in Eritrea and Statistics Norway

The Project
The Governments of Eritrea and Norway signed an agreement for assistance to the Eritrean National Statistics Office (NSO) in October 2003. The support Project is organised as a twinning arrangement between NSO and Statistics Norway, involving both long term and short term expert assistance, with a clear emphasis on capacity building and institutional strengthening. The Project focuses on Economic Statistics, with the national accounts as a prioritised area. It started officially in June 2004, with the two long term advisers in place from September the same year. Their work has been supplemented by a number of shorter term visits of other Norwegian experts in the years following. All have worked with the staff at the NSO, transferring professional knowledge and technical skills to the largely young staff in the economic statistics department. By the end of 2006, NOK 12,3 mill has been spent of a total budget of 15,3. The official project period ends in aug. 2008, but can be extended.

Interesting Findings
• The development of the IT system has taken longer time and more resources than initially planned, but has rendered good results. A server system is built, and software is successfully installed.
• The work on general economic statistics has followed the Master Plan for economic statistics, with deviations relating to the availability of data and to difficulties in assuring regular access of data from government institutions. This work would have improved if the NSOs legal position had been stated through the Statistical Proclamation (Act).
• Work on the consumer price index and the foreign trade statistics has given tangible results. The establishment of a statistical business register has been delayed, however.
• The work on the national accounts has proved to be heavy and challenging for the NSO staff that do need training to undertake this complex task. It is uncertain if the 2004 National Accounts are not completed by mid-2007 and if it is not it may have consequences regarding the need of continued SSB technical assistance.
• A key data cooperation issue is the limited capacity in the ministries and the regional administration regarding data collection and statistical work.
• As yet the publication of statistics by the NSO has been largely missing and it is therefore suggested that a release calendar should be issued. This is of outmost importance for the data users to know what data can be expected in the future.
• The project promises to show good results, but the sustainability of economic statistics in Eritrea remains fragile. It is therefore of outmost importance to get the above mentioned legal framework and strategic plans in place.