Afghanistan needs modern statistical system: SCO chief

KABUL): The Central Statistics Organization (CSO) on Tuesday said it had handed over $4 million (220,280,000 afghanis) to the German Cooperation Organization (GIZ) to help put the CSO on modern footing and build up its capacity.

CSO Director Abdul Rahman Ghafori told a press conference in Kabul the World Bank (WB) had provided the Ministry of Finance with $14m in 2012 to estimate the country’s populations through the CSO.

He said their organisation estimated the country’s population at around 27.5 million people in 2012, indicating an increase by 500,000 individuals, compared to 2011 census.

He said latest estimates based on demographic and mathematical methods showed the country’s populations comprised of 14.1 million males and 13.4 million females.

Ghafori said the CSO had recently handed over $4m to the GIZ organization in order to cooperate with it in introducing modern statistical system and capacity building.

Later, he told Pajhwok Afghan News the issue of capacity-building was crucial and should be taken seriously.

He said the government required a sophisticated statistical system, saying progress could not be achieved in the absence of a precise statistical system and that Afghanistan could not develop when it lacked a modern system to estimate populations.

Addressing CSO employees, Ghafori said: “You should provide accurate statistics, because every development, economic, traditional and social programme is designed and executed keeping in mind these statistics.”

Mrh/ma

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