PNG lacks statistical units, says Koloma

 By TAUNA GEORGE 
National Statistician Roko Koloma says PNG has a long way to go in providing statistics that inform the world of its progress.
He pointed out the lack of performance indicators in statistics to inform the Government on PNG’s targets to achieve goals set by the United Nations.
“We are telling government departments, agencies and the public sector to compile statistics for their own organisations. Everyone seems to be concentrating on compiling statistics to the National Statistical Office,” Koloma said.
He said there was a lack of statistical units in government departments.
“There are lots of administrative data within government departments that are of value.”
Koloma was speaking during a regional workshop hosted by the NSO to review the Statistical Services Act 1980 in Port Moresby last Friday.
“In PNG not many people are aware of changes that are done to legislations,” he said.
“We are now reforming the organisation (NSO) by reviewing its legislation so that all information about our work can become reliable to people who can then use that information to provide the status of the country’s population.
“Many government departments and organisations have realised the importance of statistics and have engaged us to help them.”
He said statistics covered the interests of all citizens of PNG, therefore the approach they have now taken was to work in partnership with everyone.
“Partnership is working with all government departments and agencies to compile numbers,” he said.