The Namibia Statistics Agency will be hosting a statistical workshop in Swakopmund. The aim is to present and dissect the latest economic statistics and engage Erongo regional stakeholders. 

According to  the NSA’s Manager for Corporate Communications, Iipumbu Sakaria, they will release various reports, inclusive of the Fourth Quarter Government Wage Index Bulletin 2021, the Establishment Census Report 2019/20, Fourth-Quarter Agriculture Statistical Bulletin 2021, Preliminary National Accounts 2021, Sectoral reports for February 2022, as well as the Annual Merchandise Trade report 2021 there​. 

He explained that the the Government Wage Index measures the level of prices government employees charge in exchange for the labour services they provide.  This report is also essential for evaluating the wage bill, living standards and conditions of work of central government employees. The Establishment Census Report, a new and first of its kind for the NSA, will be a presentation of all the business establishments in the country and should be highly interesting for economic stakeholders, planners and implementers in the country. 

“The NSA conducted the 2019/2021 Census of Business Establishments between October 2019 and April 2021.  The Census of Business Establishments was conducted together with the Population and Housing Census Mapping exercise that visited all physical structures in the country. This was the first Census of Business Establishments to be carried out by the NSA, and it will be able to provide information on number and characteristics of establishment, size of establishments, ownership and employment amongst many others,” Sakaria stated.   

The main objectives of the Census of Business Establishment is to provide data necessary for understanding the current structure of businesses in the Namibian economy, and to provide inputs in the development of a Statistical Business Register. 

Sakaria added that the Quarterly Agriculture Statistical Bulletin presents an overview of the Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery sector in Namibia.  “The objective of the bulletin is to illustrate the short-term performance of the sectors by looking at international merchandise trade patterns, auction prices and food inflation rate developments on a quarterly basis. The statistical bulletin will assist users, analysts and researchers during planning and decision-making, as well as carrying out in depth-analysis in the area of agriculture. This publication outlines the fourth-quarter results, covering October 2021 to December 2021,” he said. 

Meanwhile, the preliminary national accounts’ publication contains estimates of National Income, Savings, GDP and External Transactions, and also provides the NSA with the estimates of economic growth for a specific timeframe. 

Said Sakaria: “Therefore, all eyes should be firmly fixed on how the economy preformed over the last year. The NSA will also release the annual merchandise trade report, which provides an analysis of Namibia’s trade data. International merchandise trade plays a crucial role in economic development as it links producers and consumers located in different countries into a global economic system”. 

Furthermore, the NSA will use the time at the coast to engage the regional leadership, and visit schools to engage learners in statistics and ensure Namibian learners become statistics of success. The workshop will be streamed live through NSA’s social media platforms. 

Photo: NSA

Caption: NSA’s Manager for Corporate Communications, Iipumbu Sakaria. Photo: Contributed