3
1.2 Objectives
The aim of producing this manual is to enable all institutions to improve the process
of collecting, managing and using administrative data to produce reliable statistics in
the country. This aims at providing guidelines and methodologies for harmonizing
administrative data for filling data gaps in the monitoring of mid-term and long-term
development plans (SDGs, FYDP III, ZADEP etc) and official statistical indicators
across NSS to ensure consistency, accuracy, and reliability.
The manual for integrating administrative data will help to achieve the following
specific objectives:
i.
Establishing common data standards and formats to ensure uniformity in data
collection, storage, and reporting;
ii.
Addressing challenges related to data linkage, matching, and duplication;
iii.
Implementing quality control measures in administrative data;
iv.
Improved data quality and reliability through standardized data collection and
processing procedures; and
v.
Enhanced efficiency and effectiveness of data utilization across various
stakeholders.
1.3 Scope of the Manual
The manual is designed for use across NSS. It is fit for use by all players engaged in
the production of administrative data within the country. The goal is to improve the
quality of administrative data by addressing the integration and harmonization; and
aligning with the statistical production process to bridge administrative data gaps.
This will result in enhanced overall administrative data quality.
1.4 Uses and Users of the Manual
The Manual on Strengthening and Integrating Administrative Data is intended for use
by all players of the NSS. The Manual is designed to provide guidance to
administrative data producers and compilers on best practices to ensure they
produce statistics of acceptable standards and quality through administrative data
system. However, uses of the manual may differ from one type of player to another.
For instance, producers of statistics may find this manual to be of more use to them
4 compared to users of statistics. On the other hand, users of statistics may find this manual to be more useful when it comes to know how statistics have been produced with the intention of assessing their quality and fitness for purpose. 1.5 Structure of the Manual This manual is organised into five chapters. Following this introduction chapter, the second chapter scans the situation on administrative data system of Tanzania. Chapter three and chapter four are the core chapters of this manual. Chapter three explains step-by-step procedure to be followed when producing statistics accordingly while considering the GSBPM. The fourth chapter introduces the aspect of quality management and how quality can be assured as far as production of administrative data is concerned. The last chapter explains the coordination of the administrative data and its overall management in the NSS.
5 CHAPTER TWO: ADMINISTRATIVE DATA SYSTEM IN TANZANIA 2.0 Introduction The administrative data system in Tanzania encompasses various aspects of data collection, compilation, management, classification, and statistical analysis across social, demographic, and economic domains. In the following sections, practices of statistics production by NSS using administrative data and their management have been extensively explained. 2.1 National Statistical System of Tanzania 2.1.1 Composition and Structure The National Statistical System (NSS) comprises the NSOs and all other stakeholders of statistics in the country. The NSS is composed of producers, compilers and users of statistics. This encompasses different groups and types of stakeholders including the NSOs (NBS and OCGS), Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Local Government Authorities (LGAs), Research and Development (R&D) institutions, Development Partners (DPs) and other Non-State Actors (NSAs). Each one among these groups, has specific roles in the NSS. To better coordinate and manage the NSS, the Government, through responsible agencies, set up arrangements on how these different players of the NSS are related and interlinked. The Government, through NSOs, regularly designs National Strategies for the Development of Statistic (NSDS) which is currently known as TSMP that serve as a tool to facilitate mechanism of coordinating and managing the NSS. Within this tool, different players of the NSS are brought together through structures like Statistical Working Groups (SWGs) and joint committees. The cornerstone for effective operations of these structures is their coordination and management.
6
2.1.2 NSS Legal and Policy Framework
The legal framework for statistics consists of the laws and legally-binding regulations
that govern the statistical agencies, relationship between members of the national
statistical system and respondents for the provision of data, as well as all aspects of
data compilation, dissemination and data use. Legal framework gives the statistical
agencies a clear mandate to collect data and to compile and disseminate statistics,
and makes relevant information, such as supplementary data sources available for
compilation.
Well-developed national legislation regulating the production of official statistics is
necessary to ensure the implementation of the principles described in UN
Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics. The overall target is to ensure the
production of official statistics of a high level of quality, meeting users' needs and
being trusted by users and other stakeholders. For the National Statistical Offices in
Tanzania, The Statistics Act Cap. 351 and The Office of Chief Government
Statistician Act No. 9 of 2007 for Zanzibar give mandate to NBS and OCGS to
coordinate the National Statistical System. Other institutions have their legal and
policy frameworks applied in their institutions according to their core functions but
are not specific for production of official statistics. Both Statistics Act considers the
official statistics produced by NSS if they met criteria and standard set by the
Statistician General/Chief Government Statistician and they are not allowed to collect
data through census or survey except with approval of Statistician General/Chief
Government Statistician. There is a need for the legal and institutional framework of
other statistical agencies to guarantee the fundamental values and principles that
govern the development, production and dissemination of official statistics and be
respected at all political levels and by all stakeholders in NSS. Other institutions are
advised to propose legislation with a long-term strategy because opportunities to
pass legislation are limited and effectively impacting legal frameworks requires
substantial effort.
A successful national statistical system has flexibility to respond to changing
conditions and circumstances without needing to change its primary legislation
frequently. A flexible legal environment minimizes legislation changes and the
associated risk of political interference with the legislation when it is opened for
revision. Once the legal and policy frameworks are in place to permit the use of
7 statistics, including administrative data, it is necessary to consider the organizational arrangements to facilitate data flows in the form of written agreement of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). 2.2 Official Statistics In Tanzania, as in any other country, statistics are produced by various entities and come in various formats. However, not all statistics which are produced deserve to be taken and published as country statistics. For statistics to be published as country statistics, they need to be official as stipulated under both Statistics Act and regulations. The statistics produced by any entity, including government institution and other agencies, shall qualify to be official statistics if they meet criteria and standards set approved by Statistician General of NBS or the Chief Government Statistician of OCGS. These two offices are the only one which have been legally mandated to stamp statistics as being official. However, this mandate does not deprive any organization an opportunity of producing statistics for its own use. In order for the statistics to be endorsed as being official, there are set procedure that producer has to follow to have such endorsement. These processes and procedures are stipulated in various manuals and guidelines which are developed by the NSOs in Tanzania. 2.3 Data needs and supply within NSS National Statistics Offices in Tanzania are producing official statistics through census and surveys. These statistics are used for planning, monitoring and evaluation; and reporting of programs as well as for policy formulation and decision making. The statistics produced by NSOs are not enough to satisfy the needs and demand of data users. Administrative data is essentials to bridge the data gaps and be able to track progress and demonstrate results on national, regional and international programs over short, medium and long-term periods. Administrative data is rich in information although not necessarily designed for statistical purposes, it is however useful in providing comparable statistics used to assess countries compliance and performance to national, regional and international programs. The following are the development plans, framework and programmes committed by Tanzania which has high demand of statistics.
8
2.3.1 Global programs, frameworks and agendas
The United Republic of Tanzania (URT) committed to implement the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) since January 2016 that are mainstreamed
in the National Development Frameworks such as National Five-Year Development
Plans (FYDP II & III), Zanzibar Development Plan (ZADEP), Tanzania Development
Vision 2025, Zanzibar Development Vision 2050 (ZDV50), as well as Sectoral
Strategic Plans. About 246 out of 248 SDGs indicators recently were adopted and
localized to suit the country’s context of which 61 percent of the data were obtained
from administrative data sources in 2016 compared to 39 percent obtained from
surveys and census. In 2023, administrative data contributed 49 percent against 51
percent from surveys and census data. Therefore, there is a need to strengthen
administrative data to fill the highly significant data gaps, of which its data are
obtained from various sectors within NSS.
2.3.2 Regional Frameworks and Agendas
Tanzania abides itself to unite with other countries at regional and continental level to
set up and implement various development frameworks that addresses development
issues and challenges faced by these countries. At highest level there is an African
Union (AU) in which Tanzania is a member. Below it, there is Southern African
Development Community (SADC) in which our country is also a member and at the
lowest, there is an East African Community (EAC) where also we are among the
member state. In each of these unions, there development ambitions and aspiration
that member states wish to achieve at some time. Each member country allocates
resources to implement programs earmarked to achieve those ambitions and
aspirations. Likely, monitoring of the progress towards achievement of the set goals
need to be informed using statistics that many countries including Tanzania produce
from surveys or administrative data systems.
2.3.3 National Frameworks and Plans
Planning for development in Tanzania Mainland is guided by FYDP in medium term.
The FYDP in term are designed to reflect the aspirations of the TDV. On the other
hand, Zanzibar relies on ZADEP as medium-term development plan. Similarly,
ZADEP reflects aspiration of the long term ZDV50. Designing of all these plans and
vision requires a lot of information to study and understand the trend and hence to
9 set up realistic targets to be achieved at some time later. In addition, monitoring of the progress and reporting the achievement also need to be well informed using statistics collected from surveys as well as administrative data system. 2.3.4 Sectoral Frameworks and Plans Policies are designed or formulated at institutional level but its implementation has a spill over effect in the sense that it involves other stakeholders. Also, set up of the Government structure involve sectors which in some cases include more than one institution working together. In most cases, national programs are implemented at sectoral level whereby more than one institution are involved. Under such circumstance, having sectoral plans is common and therefore statistics are required for monitoring implementation of those programs as well as reporting their performance and achievements. 2.3.5 Institutional Plans Designing and development of institutional strategic plans, business plans as well as budgeting and annual action plans need to be well informed using data and statistics produced by the respective institution. In addition, policy formulation and decision making at all level must rely on facts in order for them to be genuine and realistic. Therefore, statistics from administrative data system from any institution are key drivers of all planning and decision-making process within that particular institution let aside the importance of such statistics to other institutions, sectors and the country at large. 2.4 Administrative Data Management Tanzania's administrative data management system is integrated in institutional and sectoral structures. The NBS and OCGS play a central role in coordinating and overseeing the administrative data system through development of guidelines and set up standards on how statistics should be produced.