The Tobago House of Assembly hosted a two-day Caribbean Statistics conference at the Magdalena Grand Hotel and Golf Resort to work on a plan to strengthen data collection on the island and develop a statistical ecosystem.
The conference was hosted in collaboration with the United Nations and the Central Statistical Office of Trinidad and Tobago.
Chief Secretary Farley Augustine acknowledged that Tobago faces a significant data gap. Moreover, he stated that national statistical averages do not always explain Tobago’s distinctive economic and social circumstances.
“And so even with what we sometimes receive from the central statistical office, they don’t always represent the nitty gritty and the cultural nuances that exist for us in Tobago.”
Mr Augustine explained that without timely and accurate data, the Tobago House of Assembly struggles to make the best decisions and formulate the policies needed to take the island forward.
“If it is not data driven, then we voopsing. And if we voopsing then our results will be just like West Indies cricket.”
Additionally, the Chief Secretary admitted that the THA is not able to assess the effectiveness of investments and policies without a mechanism to provide data.
These concerns prompted conference participants to commit to developing a statistical ecosystem to improve data collection.
The initiative is supported by the United Nations. UN Resident Co-ordinator in Trinidad and Tobago Joanna Kazana praised the THA for taking steps towards improving data collection in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals.
“We are also showcasing best practices examples, how other jurisdictions have dealt with the similar problem of data inequality, I would say. We are bringing examples from the island of Jersey. We are bringing examples of solutions from Wales in the UK”
Additionally, Ms Kazana presented a digital twin to the THA, an online database of images developed in collaboration with Germany, Japan and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs.
“Which is looking at how data available on satellite can be use for better assessment of the physical real conditions in real life in the physical environment where we live. So the digital twin of Tobago exists, its a 3D, it’s an online data set providing images, 3-dimensional images, down to the level of a single building.”
The conference concluded on Friday, and the Division of Strategic Planning and Development will be tasked with formulating and implementing an effective and accessible data ecosystem.