IDB, Guyana sign US$3.8M social policy Agreement
Guyana Chronicle
March 25, 2004
THE Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) yesterday agreed to lend Guyana US$3.8 million to strengthen the capacity of the Bureau of Statistics to undertake policy analyses and effectively monitor the country's Poverty Reduction Strategy.
Minister of Finance, Sasenarine Kowlessar, signed the social statistics and policy analysis agreement with the IDB in the boardroom of the Ministry of Finance, Main Street. IDB's Resident Representative to Guyana, Sergio Varas, signed for the Bank.
Chief Statistical of the Bureau of Statistics, Lennox Benjamin, and other representatives of the Ministry of Finance and IDB attended the ceremony.
The Government of Guyana will finance part of the programme.
The Office of the President - Policy Coordination and Programme Management Unit and the Bureau of Statistics (BOS) - will be the project's implementing entities.
According to a press release from IDB, the objectives of the programme are to improve and sustain the capacity of the country to generate social data, to undertake evidence-based policy analysis and to monitor the implementation and impact of the Poverty Reduction Strategy.
The Bureau of Statistics will receive US$2.1M to strengthen its capacity, while US$0.9M will be channeled towards upgrading data management and analysis in social sector ministries. The remainder is budgeted for programme execution through financing for consultative services.
The Statistical Bureau will use its part of the funding mainly for the development of a master sample frame, training, analysis and dissemination of the census and improvement in sample and questionnaire design for National Housing and Census. (GINA)