Public confidence in official statistics depends on credible, transparent data: Khosru

Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury today (5 July) stressed the need to strengthen the capacity and professionalism of the Statistics and Informatics Division (SID) and the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), saying greater public confidence in official statistics depends on credible and transparent data.

Speaking at a view-exchange meeting with officials of the SID and BBS in Dhaka, the minister emphasised the importance of ensuring the independence of official data publication and enhancing the institutional capacity of the country's national statistical agency, according to a planning ministry statement.

The minister instructed officials to take steps to update the organisational structure and recruitment rules of the BBS to improve career progression and professional standards among its officials.

He also called for expanding research opportunities at the BBS and ensuring the maximum use of official statistics in government policymaking and planning.

Besides, he directed the Statistics and Informatics Division to take the initiative to establish a Statistics Academy.

Following the meeting, Amir Khosru formally inaugurated the Microdata Analysis Lab at the BBS headquarters in Agargaon.

The newly launched facility is a secure on-site research laboratory that will allow authorised students, researchers, economists, policymakers and other approved users to analyse anonymised microdata generated through national censuses and surveys.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, the minister said reliable data are one of the key foundations of sound planning and national development.

He said the Microdata Analysis Lab would provide researchers and policymakers with a secure and controlled environment for in-depth analysis, enabling innovative research using official government data.

Noting that the BBS regularly generates vast amounts of microdata through national censuses and surveys, he said the new facility would ensure that the data are utilised in a more secure, organised and research-friendly manner.

"From data to knowledge, and from knowledge to development," the minister said, expressing hope that the Microdata Analysis Lab would make a significant contribution to building a data-driven Bangladesh.

State Minister Zonayed  Saki said the new facility would open up fresh opportunities for students, researchers, economists and policymakers, making the use of national data more effective in research and policy formulation.

Planning State Minister Zonayed Abdur Rahim Saki, Statistics and Informatics Division Secretary Md Firoz Sarkar, Acting Director General of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics Md Mir Hossain and senior officials of the ministry and the BBS attended the meeting.