Invest in National Statistical Systems to Deliver on a Data Revolution in Africa
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April - June 2014 Volume 14 Issue 2 aph r c news The Newsletter of the African Population and Health Research Center Invest in National Statistical IN THIS ISSUE Systems to Deliver on a Data Helping Girls Make P3 the Transition to Revolution in Africa Secondary School Improving the Health espite improvements in censuses and to improve data systems, quality and of Slum Dwellers household surveys, the building blocks access have succeeded and where they P4 Dof national statistical systems in sub- have created perverse incentives; and how Saharan Africa remain weak, according to a new national governments, donors, and civil report released on the World Population Day. society can accelerate progress. Helping Drive The report charts out a clear path for delivering Governments, regional bodies, and the Sexual and on a data revolution in sub-Saharan Africa. The P6 international institutions need good data on Reproductive Health report and its recommendations for actualizing basic development metrics to plan, budget Agenda in Kenya and a data revolution in Africa are a product of the Beyond and evaluate their activities. National Data for African Development Working Group, a systems for capturing fundamental joint effort of the African Population and Health development measures such as birth Research Center (APHRC) and the Center for registration and cause of death; growth and Global Development (CGD). poverty; taxes and trade; land use and the Trail Blazing a Path Alex Ezeh, Executive Director of APHRC, co- environment; health; schooling, and safety P8 Towards Open Data chaired the expert working group alongside face four major challenges: (1) national Amanda Glassman, Director of Global Health statistics offices have limited independence Policy and a senior fellow at CGD. Together, they and unstable budgets, (2) misaligned led the group to examine why a data revolution incentives encourage the production Nairobi Governor is so crucial now, in the lead up to the post-2015 of inaccurate data, (3) donor priorities P10 Launches Public- agenda. It also looked at where previous efforts dominate national priorities, and (4) access Private Initiative to and usability of data are limited. to Improve Health Outcomes Plus Program Updates The Quarter in Pictures Mission: To be a global center of excellence, consistently generating and delivering relevant scientific evidence for policy and action on population, health, and education in Africa. 1 NEWS The Working Group’s recommendations for reaping the benefits Formalizing relationships between national statistics offices, of a data revolution in Africa fall into three categories: central banks, and other government ministries by contracting for provision of data. First, the report recommends that donors and governments fund more and fund differently and identified three strategies by which this might be achieved: Lastly, to prioritize the core attributes of data building blocks, governments, donors and civil society must work jointly to: Reduce donor dependency and fund national statistics offices more from national budgets Build quality control mechanisms into data collection Mobilize more donor funding through government—donor Encourage open data that is free of charge, online, and in a compacts, and experiment with pay-for-performance format that can be analyzed. agreements Monitor progress and generate accountability. Demonstrate the value of building block statistics by generating high-level agreements by national governments and donors to Early feedback from leaders across the region indicate a prioritize national statistical systems strong interest in exploring opportunities for implementing the recommendations. As APHRC’s Dr. Ezeh notes, “We cannot Second, there is a need to build institutions that can produce address data system challenges in Tanzania or Nigeria by accurate, unbiased data. The report suggests that this might be holding high level meetings in New York or London.” The process achieved through: must be led by country leaders in a deliberate, urgent manner. Realizing a data revolution in sub-Saharan Africa depends on it. Enhancing national statistics office autonomy to protect them from political influence Read and share Delivering on a Data Revolution in Sub- Saharan Africa on our website and join the conversation on Twitter #data4dev. Experimenting with new models such as public-private partnerships to generate demand and improve access. Highlights from the ‘Delivering on a Data Revolution in Sub-Saharan Africa’ report, which offers recommendations for actualizing a data revolution in Africa. 2 FEATURE Helping Girls Make the Transition to Secondary School Understanding the challenges that these girls face, the Education Research Program at APHRC is working to help them overcome these challenges and hopefully be able to transition to secondary school School girls in class in one of the Nairobi’s informal settlements. The mentors are drawn from the same community; older girls who have grown up in the shanties and have overcome the hiny new uniform - check, new increase their transition from primary challenges to make it to college. By doing shoes - check. Sylvia is nervously to secondary school. Disadvantages this, the team hopes that the young girls will Smaking her way up the path come in many forms but in Sylvia’s not only have academic coaches but also towards what will be her abode for the case, it was being from a background mentors and role models who understand next four years. Her nervousness isn’t of grim urban poverty. Sylvia comes their specific context and can give practical just because she is a new school, it is from the desperately poor slum of advice. also because she knows that those who Viwandani in Nairobi where many of her Also, by recognizing that the parents of have walked on that same path before counterparts never even finish school, the girls and the larger community have her include a former first lady, three falling prey to early pregnancies, rape, an immense influence on the girls’ life, cabinet ministers, a high court judge and and sometimes early death. the project team has also incorporated numerous academics, doctors, poets Understanding the challenges that mentorship sessions for the parents in and scientists. You see, Sylvia Walela is these girls face, the Education Research order to ensure that the girls receive the newest student at Alliance Girls High Program at APHRC is working to help continuous support at school, home and in School, one of the elite girls’ schools in them overcome these challenges the after school sessions. Kenya that selects only the best and the and hopefully be able to transition brightest. And the end goal? Success in the pilot to secondary school and onwards project would mean that this can be rolled Of the nearly 850,000 pupils who sat for to greater opportunities that would out to more girls in disadvantaged areas. the primary school exit exams alongside otherwise be denied to them. To do this, The end game being that more girls like Sylvia, only a fraction would ever make project team members have designed a Sylvia would get opportunities they would it to secondary school and fewer still system where girls receive after school probably not have ever dreamt of. And would find themselves, like Sylvia, in a mentorship on various school subjects the benefits multiply across the society, prestigious national secondary school. and more so the ones usually perceived for by creating a generation of educated Sylvia’s story is particularly remarkable as problematic such as math and the women, it makes it more likely that the next if you consider her background and the sciences. The project also seeks to generation of children will also be similarly odds that she has beaten to be there. provide life skills and mentorship to the educated. Educating Sylvia is not just good girls to help them cope with general Sylvia is one of the 1,500 disadvantaged for her, it is good for all of us, now and in and specific challenges that they face girls who APHRC through the Education the future. at home and school. Research Program is working with to 3 INTERVIEW Improving the Health of Slum Dwellers Dr. Steven Van de Vijver who spent 3 years working working at APHRC talks about his work, his love for the unusual and what he will miss most about Nairobi. How would you sum What are you up your experiences passionate about? at APHRC? What gets you up 1My first encounter with 3every morning? APHRC was five years ago when I came to Kenya for Working with inspiring my Masters Degree thesis colleagues and on issues on hypertension in slums which make you feel you of Nairobi. I was astonished are really working on the by the cooperation and current challenges, and willingness to share their hopefully solutions, of this data and the friendly and planet. I like the idea of professional staff. I was working together to make working on the SCALE the world a better place UP project that sought which can be something as to reduce the risk of small as putting a bandage cardiovascular disease on a wound to reducing the among the urban poor in CVD burden in Sub Saharan Nairobi. Africa. Whatever the case, I still feel young and idealistic, In the first phase of and hope to remain like that. the project we had to develop the model of What is the greatest the intervention in close challenge you ever collaboration with the faced at work and community, policymakers, 4how did you overcome it? doctors, researchers in national and international Specifically during the perspective. It was a great implementation of the and valuable experience SCALE UP project, we faced to get to know all these a few challenges, often different people and hear something we had expected their views opinions about or anticipated. The most the model and how to shocking I would say was the prevent cardiovascular effects of the high crime rate diseases in slums.