No. 36     January 1999

Sharing quality data with Africa

The Africa Live Database (LDB) gives users on-line access to the latest development data at the click of a button. It was developed to address World Bank staff frustration with poor data quality, the difficulty in manipulating data, the high cost of preparing routine reports, and to widen dissemination. Since its introduction in January 1995, the LDB has revolutionized the way staff store, access, and analyze data, produce standard tables, and compare country performance indicators.

The basic approach of the LDB is to consolidate macroeconomic and sector time- series information into one database (an SQL server). The data are obtained from a variety of agencies, mostly official sources and international organizations (UN agencies, IMF, OECD, etc.). The database is widely accessible via a network environment using three user-friendly tools: for data manipulation and report generation, for data analysis, and for querying. An updating tool is also provided to a data administrator to keep the database current (live).

Since 1997, the Knowledge and Learning Center has been sharing the benefits of the LDB approach to Africa in two ways. First, through the installation of the LDB at regional institutions such as the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and second, through piloting the Country Live Database (CLDB) in national statistical offices, and thirdly through Internet access.

Impact on the ground

• Organizations such as the African Development Bank have been able to substantially reduce the cost of collecting, accessing, and manipulating data as well generating standard reports.
• The National Statistics Office in Mozambique has begun the lengthy task of identifying all indicators needed in their national database, coding each indicator, documenting sources and definitions, and developing relationships with other ministries; all as part of an effort to build a Country Live Database. While more work remains to be done, much of the groundwork has been prepared in anticipation of the installation of a local area network.
• Efforts have shifted from collecting data to analyzing it. The LDB has generated more interest in data as a foundation for analysis.
• Widespread access to the LDB has allowed for (i) easier identification of gaps and the corresponding targeting of data collection efforts; (ii) quicker detection of data errors; and (iii) improved data quality through more thorough review.

Lessons Learned

• There is great demand for statistical tools that can facilitate the storage, access, and analysis of economic information. The CLDB approach of centralizing economic information into one database and providing tools to widely access data has proven useful. How one adopts the approach to the specific needs of a statistical office is key to its success.
• Weak capacity at national statistical offices has often been a hindrance. Lack of computer networks and systems support, poorly-trained staff, and lack of data administration guidelines are just a few examples of how successful implementation could be impeded. The CLDB needs to be part of a larger capacity-building effort that addresses not only technology, training, and management, but also the strategic mission of a statistical office. This strategic mission can be shaped in part, experience indicates, through the organization of a user-producer workshop.
• Need for country team support: Whereas there is universal criticism of weak statistics in Africa, efforts to address the problem have often been sector specific or ad hoc. Support for statistical capacity building has to be part of the overall Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) and must address the underlying bottlenecks currently existing in the statistical system. Efforts to supplant the existing infrastructure rather than strengthen it tends to weaken the system as a whole.
• Management commitment: Organizations that perceive the LDB as critical to their strategic mission of developing country economic knowledge are more likely to succeed. Active involvement and strong commitment by senior management to providing the necessary resources for equipment, staffing, training, and technical assistance substantially increases the likelihood that LDB can meet their organization's needs.