Data collection the way to go

Letters

I support the effort of the Department of Provincial and Local Level Government Affairs (DPLGA) to introduce new ward record books as reported in The National on Friday (Sept 29).
The move to keep an accurate register of people living in villages and rural areas will help improve the country’s poor level of data-keeping and thereby make planning for development and service distribution better.
The basic principle of planning is that people must be at the centre of every development as they are the rightful custodians and beneficiaries of those development activities, whether those activities are political, social, cultural, religious, sporting or economic.
I congratulate the DPLGAs as the wards’ record book will provide the perfect platform for people-centered or data-based planning.
Keeping data in terms of the population of each community or village and having a better understanding of population growth is the way forward.
DPLGA, however, faces a major challenge to make this work and it needs the support of other government department to make the programme reach every community in the country.

Fenebe Ibusubu
Port Moresby, NCD