With Zamstats being the government wing assigned the legal mandate as custodian of official statistical data and its publications in Zambia, and the Jesuit Center for Theological Reflection being a research, education and advocacy institution promoting study and action linking Christian faith and social justice, the two launched an agreement to strengthen data collection and dissemination.
Photo from BBC Food
JCTR’s operations are based on two branches; faith and justice as well as social and economic development. The JCTR releases the monthly, Basic Need Nutrition Basket (BNNB) that reveals a narrowed focus on the amount that an average family 0f 5 spends on food according to dietary needs to prevent malnutrition. The September edition revealed a family of 5 needs K 8413.65 as of K8495.52 in August.
JCTR’s independence from lawmakers makes its input desirable as the interested parties seek variability, and inclusiveness in data sources. Because of its special concern for the poor, JCTR assures international linkage. Its most memorable achievement is the initiation of Jubilee 2000, a campaign which led to Zambia’s cancellation of over 90 % of its debt in 1998 due to efforts by its outreach centers in Kasama, Kitwe, Livingstone, and Mongu as well as how its wider civil society significantly aided the cancellation. Backed by proof, they gave a detailed review of how Zambia owed the international community in excess of US$7 billion and was spending over US$100 million per annum in external debt servicing at the expense of economic and human development projects. Thus, the country qualified for the Highly Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) completion point and qualified for the Multilateral Debt Relief (MDR) in 2005, giving Zambia a chance at economic and social welfare redemption.
Zamstats is assigned to produce credible, official data, release the monthly bulletin which consists of a wider economic eye, with quarterly GDP, the consumer price index, international trade and industrial output. As September seemed to register decreased food inflation from 31.6% in August to 29.6% attributed to decrease, while non-food inflation rose to 0% from -0.4% with the overall inflation falling to -0.8 from 1.7 last month.
Having evolved over the years, rebranding itself as Zambia Statistics Agency from Central Statistical Office (CSO), the institution seeks to records its first ever e-census this year. Its data is credible and official, approved for use in media both locally and internationally. Their partnership and coordination will enhance the dissemination of data produced by Zamstats as compared to before.
This partnership with JCTR will create room for feedback on dissemination methods and processes that Zamstats uses which will direct where improvement is desired and vice versa.
The advancing of the relationship between the two bodies will be beneficial and provide a more precise, consolidated and representative view of the actual living conditions in Zambia, as Zamstats previously only provided the statistical data in economic measure to its audience, while JCTR will aid the customization to adding socially inclusive value to the figures. This will be key in facilitating policy measures, which is one of the many roles JCTR carries out as a contributor in order to fulfil its organizational mandate. This act will increase credibility and validity from research findings involving the nature of both institutions. Considering how inflation is split by Zamstats into food and nonfood. JCTR mainly focuses on the food basket, but these families also utilise items like soap and tissue, which are not captured but consumed. JCTR’s link to the citizen then enhances Zamstats work in justice and faith to social development courtesy of the partnership. Thereby, translating into more precise policy-making input.
Currently the first publication of both organisations after this reveal will be worth to looking out for, as we seek to witness how the merging will unfold.
