Technical assistance in computing the SDG indicators 2.3.1, 2.3.2 and 5.a.1 in Zambia

Background

The Office of the Chief Statistician (OCS) completed a Statistical Capacity Assessment for the 21 SDG indicators under FAO custodianship in 2019 and found that more than 80% of countries require capacity improvement to produce and report on most SDG indicators. As a result, OCS has been collaborating with FAO Regional offices through Regional Roadmaps to assist nations in ensuring that high-quality comparable data for the SDGs is available.

In this context, the FAO Regional Office for Africa and the Office of the Chief Statistician organized a series of training sessions in June 2023 to assist the Zambia Bureau of Statistics in computing SDG indicators 2.3.1, 2.3.2, and 5.a.1, as well as integrating them into current survey instruments.

Main activities and outcomes

The first training (from June 19 to 21, 2023) was held for 15 participants from the Zambia Bureau of Statistics, as well as other members from the government who are involved in computing indicators 2.3.1, 2.3.2, and 5.a.1.

The second training (from June 24 to 28, 2023) was held for a smaller team who works directly with questionnaire formulation and programming.

The sessions were designed to address 1) the theoretical introduction to the indicators, 2) the methodological element of computing the indicators, and 3) the indicator reporting component.

The training also included pen and paper computation of the indicators after the theoretical introduction of the indicators.