Saint Lucia has officially launched the first National Strategy for the Development of Statistics (NSDS). The five-year blueprint is designed to strengthen data governance, improve coordination, and support evidence-based policymaking.

At the September 25 launch, the Deputy Director for Statistics, Richard Harris, emphasized the importance of the initiative. He noted that the strategy provides the country with an opportunity to maximize its resources, strengthen data systems, and use evidence-based insights to address pressing national challenges.

“The National Strategy for the Development of Statistics grants us the opportunity to consolidate and leverage our prevailing resources—not just our data resources, but all our resources, human, AI, and otherwise,” he said. “It will allow us to compile data that will allow us to identify and observe historically hidden trends and associations in our administrative and survey data sets, fill in annoying data gaps, locate and integrate the missing pieces of the data puzzle, and gather evidence that in a very practical way can be used to resolve most of our collective challenges.”

The Director of Statistics, Sean Mathurin, said the strategy is a national commitment toward building a stronger and more reliable statistical foundation for national development.

“Through the NSDS, our National Statistical System will be transformed into one that is resilient, innovative, and inclusive,” Director Mathurin said. “To achieve this, we will strengthen data governance, expand data partnerships, promote data literacy, and innovate continuously by embracing new technologies and  methods to ensure that our statistical system remains agile and forward-looking.

“One of the most practical and necessary outcomes of a well-functioning and relevant national statistical system is improved access to administrative data. This advancement has the potential to significantly reduce or even eliminate reliance on surveys for small departments like ours, which must allocate a substantial share of limited resources to conduct surveys and censuses.”

He added that the successful implementation of the NSDS will not only enhance efficiency but also foster cross-sector collaboration.

“If successfully implemented, the NSDS will promote coordination across government ministries, private sector entities and development partners. It will help to eliminate duplication, improve efficiency, and ensure optimal use of limited resources. Ultimately, this will result in a modernized, well-functioning, and relevant national statistical system.”

The NSDS was conceptualized in 2019 with support from Paris 21 and the World Bank. The collaborative statistical strategy is Saint Lucia’s first.