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THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA
DISSEMINATION POLICY
NATIONAL BUREAU OF STATISTICS
SEPTEMBER 2024
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Table of Contents Preface ....................................................................................................................................... 3 Concept and Definition for the Document: ......................................................................... 4 1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 8 2. Policy statement ............................................................................................................... 8 3. Policy Objectives .............................................................................................................. 9 4. Policy scope .................................................................................................................... 10 5. Data Dissemination Principles ..................................................................................... 10 6. Adherence to Regional dissemination principles ..................................................... 11 7. Data Accessibility .......................................................................................................... 12 8. Communication Channels for Statistical Data Dissemination ................................ 12 9. User Engagement ........................................................................................................... 13 10. Monitoring and Evaluation of Dissemination Policy ........................................... 13 11. Implementation of Data Dissemination Policy ...................................................... 14 12. Review and Update ................................................................................................... 14 13. Compliance ................................................................................................................. 14 14. Compliance ................................................................................................................. 14
3 Preface The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) is an autonomous public institution operating under the Ministry of Finance, in accordance with the Statistics Act No. 9 of 2015 (R.E. 2019) . NBS is mandated to collect, produce, and disseminate official statistics while also coordinating the National Statistical System (NSS). Recognizing that official stati stics serve as a public good, they must be comprehensive, readily available, and accessible to all citizens in formats that meet their diverse needs. Dissemination of official statistics is a critical phase in the statistical process, ensuring transparency , accessibility, and alignment with the mission and vision of a statistical office. This process involves making official statistics, analytical reports, statistical services, and metadata available to users. This Dissemination Policy establishes a structured framework for sharing statistical data and information, outlining the mechanisms for access and responsible usage. The policy is aligned with national, regional, and global standards governing the dissemination of official statistics. NBS remains commi tted to ensuring broad and seamless access to official statistics, reinforcing our dedication to transparency and data -driven decision -making. To enhance user experience, NBS continually integrates innovative technologies in developing modern dissemination tools, ensuring that statistical information is delivered in a user-friendly and accessible manner.
……………………….. Dr. Albina Chuwa Statistician General September 2024
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Concept and Definition for the Document:
Concept:
The Dissemination Policy of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) details a
comprehensive approach to the management , communicating and dissemination of
statistical data in Tanzania. The policy ensures that the data produced by NBS, as
part of the National Statistical System (NSS), is made publicly available in a timely,
transparent, and accessible manner.
It also establishes guidelines on how different categories of data —such as micro,
macro, administrative, and geo -spatial data —are shared with stakeholders.
Furthermore, it emphasises the protection of confidentiality while promoting public
understanding and usage of statistics for informed decision -making, policy
formulation, and research.
Definition:
The Dissemination Policy defines and presents the framework for releasing official
statistics to the public, ensuring they are easily accessible, accurate, and presented in
a user -friendly format. The policy sets out clear principles for transparency,
timeliness, confidentiality, and accessibility, guiding the release of data to various
stakeholders including government agencies, researchers, and the general public. It
also describes the various levels of data accessibility, from open access to restricted
data use, and outlines the role of NBS in engaging with users and promoting
statistical literacy.
Definition of Key Terms
Official Statistics:
These are s tatistical data which are produced by the National Statistical System
(NSS), regional and international organizations, and in accordance with national and
international standards, principles, and methodologies. These statistics are vital for
decision-making and policy development.
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NBS (National Bureau of Statistics):
The central entity responsible for collecting, compiling, producing, and
disseminating official statistics in Tanzania. It is an autonomous public office
established by the Statistics Act, CAP 351 R.E. 2019 and has the mandate to provide
official statistics to the Government, Business community and the Public. NBS
ensures the availability of accurate and timely data for informed decision-making.
Dissemination:
The process of distributing statistical data and making it available to the public and
stakeholders. This involves presenting data in formats that are accessible,
understandable, and useful to users.
Transparency:
A principle that ensures all statistical releases are accompanied by clear
documentation, including methodologies, data sources, and limitations.
Transparency promotes accountability and trust in statistical information.
Accessibility:
The principle that ensures offi cial statistics are made available to all users, including
government agencies, researchers, and the public. It involves providing data in
formats that are easy to access and use.
Timeliness:
The principle that statistical data should be released according to a pre -announced
schedule, ensuring that the information remains relevant and useful for decision -
making.
Confidentiality:
A principle that ensures the protection of individual and organizational privacy.
Data disseminated by NBS must be anonymized and aggregated to prevent the
identification of specific respondents or establishments.
Micro-data:
Detailed data that can be traced to individual units such as households, individuals,
or establishments. Micro -data is typically more detailed and granular comp ared to
macro-data and requires careful handling to ensure confidentiality.
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Macro-data:
Aggregated data, often in the form of statistics or indicators, that summarize
information at a larger scale (e.g., national or regional levels) rather than at the
individual or unit level.
Administrative Data:
Data collected as part of administrative processes, such as tax records, health
statistics, or education data. These data are not originally intended for statistical
purposes but are used to inform statistical analyses.
Geo-spatial Data:
Data that is linked to geographical locations, such as maps or location -based
statistics. Geo -spatial data is used in various analyses, such as population
distribution and resource management.
Open Access:
A category of data that c an be accessed freely by the public without restrictions, as
long as the data does not compromise national security or breach confidentiality.
Direct Access/Public Use Files:
Data files that are made publicly available with some restrictions on usage, but no
screening of users. These data can be used directly by researchers or the public for
analysis.
Research Use Files:
Data sets that are made available for research purposes under specific conditions,
often requiring users to adhere to certain guidelines o r access them in a secure
enclave.
No Access Authorized:
A classification for data that is not accessible to the public or specific users, typically
due to sensitivity, confidentiality concerns, or legal restrictions.
Statistics Act (2015, as amended):
The primary legal framework governing the collection, production, and
dissemination of official statistics in Tanzania. It defines the roles and
responsibilities of entities like NBS.
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Tanzania Statistical Master Plan II (TSMP II): A strategic document outli ning the long -term plan for the development and enhancement of the national statistical system in Tanzania. EAC (East African Community) Statistics Development and Harmonization Regional Project: A regional initiative aimed at improving and harmonizing sta tistics across East African countries, ensuring consistent methodologies and standards for statistical data. Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics: A set of international principles established by the United Nations that guide the production, use, and dissemination of official statistics. These principles emphasize independence, transparency, confidentiality, and the utility of statistics. Client Service Charter: A document outlining the standards of service that NBS aims to deliver to its users. It includes commitments to quality, responsiveness, and accountability in the dissemination of statistical data.
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- Introduction
Official statistics are defined as statistical data produced, as a rule, within the scope
of the statistical programme of the N ational Statistical System (NSS) , regional and
international organisations of which Tanzania is a member, in compliance with
national and international technical standards and fulfilling the NSS principles.
Official Statistics are a key input in today's so ciety, becoming a public asset for
conducting research and analyses as a result providing an important contribution to
the most relevant decision -making processes and policy interventions both by those
at public and private sectors.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) is the central entity mandated to collect, compile, produce and disseminate official statistics in Tanzania. NBS is committed to providing accurate, timely, and accessible statistical information to support decision- making, research, and policy formulation in the country.
Indeed, data dissemination, which is a key stage of statistical activity, is instrumental in implementing and highlighting strict compliance with the NBS mission. Therefore, putting in place a policy of making national s tatistics available to the widest possible community, and where appropriate, with the choice of format, to facilitate users in getting access to statistics data and reports is absolutely indispensable. The implementation of this policy will benefit the cou ntry and other stakeholders to the fullest capacity while maintaining the strictest level of confidentiality and promote trust on disseminated data. - Policy statement The Tanzania National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) is committed to producing quality national statistics which are timely available and accessible to users for real time decision-making, support policy formulation and research. As a public good, official statistics must be independently and impartially disseminated to the public in a user-friendly manner including using of latest dissemination tools. Statistics must be presented in such a way that the main results can be understood 9 without expert knowledge of statistics. NBS analy ses must be accessible and understandable in order to enable users to obtain information on Tanzanian society. NBS is obliged to use its know -how to make the statistics coherent, understandable and accessible. The statistics that NBS produces and analyses should cover the needs of the general public, and also be extensive detailed enough to cover the business community and the public authorities’ needs for statistics in regard to planning and policy formulation.
- Policy Objectives
The objective of this policy is to define and explain the nature of the data and more
specifically the anonymised statistical data files that will be disseminated, how they
should be used and the condition under which they will be disseminated. This
dissemination policy outlines the principles and procedures for the release , sharing
and communication of statistical data , making it available and accessible to all
stakeholders equally subject to confidentiality principle.
Other Specific objectives The specific objectives of this policy are centred on the provision of guidelines for disseminating data emanating from official statistics process ; they include, but not limited to:
i. Ensuring transparency and accountability in the dissemination of statistical information; ii. Enhancing public access to statistical data; iii. Promoting wider use of statistics for informed decision-making and policy formulation;
iv. Protecting the confidentiality of respondents; v. Promoting data dissemination system and coverage; and
vi. Lessening difficulties to which users face in accessing micro data files. 10 - Policy scope
This policy describ es the princip les of dissemination of official statistics and
provides specific guidance on dissemination of data generated through surveys and
Censuses. These include unit level data collected from households, individuals and
establishments. This policy c overs all official statistics collected, compiled and
produced either directly by NBS or (received) from Ministries, Departments and
Agencies (MDAs), Civil Society Organisations and Private Sector and have, as main
reference, the core applicable National S tatistical System (NSS) principles namely
technical independence, statistical confidentiality, impartiality and accessibility.
Data is categorised into the following categories: -
i. Micro-data and its outputs;
ii. Macro-data and its outputs;
iii. Administrative data; and
iv. Geo-spatial data. - Data Dissemination Principles
This dissemination policy is aligned with national legal and international
frameworks governing dissemination of official statistics. These are Statistics Act ( of
2015 as amended ), Tanzania Statistical Master Plan II (TSMP II), African Charter of
Statistics, Strategy for Harmonisation of Statistics in Africa (SHaSA) and the United
Nations Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics. The policy also aligns with the
objectives of the EAC Statistics Devel opment and Harmonisation Regional Project,
and the Regional Statistics Development Plans. The following principles will be
applied in the implementation of this policy: -
a. Transparency NBS will ensure that all statistical releases are accompanied by clea r documentation of methodology, data sources, and any limitations. b. Accessibility
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As a public good, access to official statistics is simultaneously provided, in user
friendly formats, to all users including government agencies, researchers, and the
general public free of charge except when additional data processing or treatment is
required upon user’s request.
c. Timeliness
Statistical data will be released in a timely manner according to a pre-announced
schedule or release Calendar to ensure relevance and usefulness.
d. Confidentiality
NBS will protect the privacy of individuals and businesses by ensuring that data is
anonymised and aggregated before communication and dissemination.
6. Adherence to Regional dissemination principles
The policy adheres to global best practices, regional frameworks, and EAC
guidelines, including:
i.
Regional Harmonization:
o Aligns with EAC protocols to standardise data production, sharing,
and dissemination across member states.
o Supports cross-border comparability by adhering to regional statistical
classifications and methodologies.
ii.
Transparency:
o Promotes open and predictable statistical releases to foster regional
trust and accountability.
iii.
Accessibility:
o Ensures data is available to diverse users, including policymakers,
researchers, and the public, in accessible formats and multiple
languages.
iv.
Quality and Reliability:
o Upholds rigorous quality assurance standards as outlined in the EAC
Regional Statistics Development Plans.