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Historical Overview
Thirty years ago a small number of men and women under the leadership of Mr. R.R. Oswald (UN Advisor) formed the nucleus of the Department of Statistics. They began operations in rented space above the Spotless Laundry in Palmdale. Their first official task involved the production of External Trade Statistics. They were assisted by a number of customs officers who were on loan to the Department from the Customs Department.
From these humble beginnings, a modern state-of-the art, fully staffed department, operating from two separate locations has emerged.
Role of the Department
The Department of Statistics was created at a time of tremendous advances taking place in the economic and social life of the country. There was an overwhelming need for data about the people and the economy of The Bahamas. The newly created statistical unit was charged with a five-fold responsibility:
- Collect, compile, analyze, abstract and publish statistical information relating to the commercial, social, industrial, agricultural, financial, economic and general activities and conditions of the inhabitants of the Bahamas;
- Collaborate with all other departments of government in the collection, compilation and publication of statistical records of administration;
- Conduct general purpose surveys, including any census of population in The Bahamas;
- Advise on all matters of policy relating to statistics; and
- Generally organize a co-ordinated scheme of social and economic statistics pertaining to the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.
The neophyte unit plunged into the statistical world with eagerness and passion and by the end of the first year's activities, had taken over the responsibility for external trade statistics and the preparation of the retail price index.
By the end of 1969, the services of a Director in the person of Mr. J. Egbert Tertullien (formerly of Statistics Canada) had been acquired. The staff now boasted two statistical officers, two statistical assistants and some supporting clerical staff. They now occupied a suite of offices in Nassau Court in what was once The Government High School. The Department was ready to take on big tasks.
Mission Statement
Many events and persons converged to produce today’s Department of Statistics with its mission: “To ensure that the Bahamian Government, businesses and people are never hampered in their activities by any inadequacies of statistics, their recent trends or their interpretation and in particular, to ensure that the managers of the Bahamian economy in the Ministry of Finance, The Central Bank and elsewhere never lack adequate statistics nor argue about them.”
Statistics Act 1973
One of the major events in the development of the Department of Statistics was the passage in The Bahamas Independence Order 1973 of “An Act to provide for The Taking of Censuses and the Collection, Compilation, Analysis and Publication of Statistical Information and for related purposes.” This Act, known as The Statistics Act, 1973, provided the legal authority for the Department to carry out its mandate. The Act established the power of the Department to obtain information, provided remedies for failure to furnish information, protected individuals from indiscriminate disclosure of information and provided penalties for breaches in the confidentiality of information by agents of the Department.
1970 Census of Population and Housing
The first major undertaking was the fifteenth decennial Census of Population, which was taken in April of 1970. Despite the greenness of the staff, this first census ran smoothly and efficiently. The information was processed by the central data processing unit of the Ministry of Finance and preliminary results were made available six months after the Census date (April 7th, 1970). The completed Census report, consisting of five sections, was printed in Miami and released for distribution in November of 1972, two and a half years after enumeration exercises began.
Consumer Price Index
The Department inherited a Retail Price Index that had been in place since 1939 with revisions in 1949 and 1965. On examination, it was determined that this Index had long ceased to reflect the pattern of consumption in The Bahama Islands. So in 1970, the Department conducted a Household Budgetary Survey which would establish the domestic spending habits of the average Bahamian family and provide meaningful weights for the construction of the Index. A new, more comprehensive Index was introduced in 1972. In 1973, the Index was extended to include Grand Bahama Island for the first time. The Index was revised in 1987 and again in 1995, when it was renamed “The Consumer Price Index.
Computer Technology
During the nascent development of the Department, spectacular events were occurring in the world of computer technology. Modern society had become an information society, and the key to information was the computer. The reality of a statistical unit is a continuous mass of data to be handled, complex routines, and an overriding need for speedy results. This situation demands that the most efficient techniques of collecting, manipulating and disseminating data be employed. In its early years, the Department was completely dependent on the government’s central data processing unit but it soon outgrew the capacity of that unit to provide real time data processing services. In 1985 the first minicomputer was introduced. This was followed in 1986 by the first PC. By 1995, all data processing had moved to a PC-based platform and Local Area Network was introduced.
Location
The Department of Statistics (DOS) has a central office in The Clarence Bain Building, Thompson Boulevard, New Providence, and a satellite office in Freeport, Grand Bahama. More than 80 statisticians, clerks, administrative and support staff collaborate daily to provide statistics on a wide range of economic and social activities, covering government, businesses and society in general.
Modus Operandi
In order to produce official statistics, the DOS undertakes a large number of separate collections, ranging from decennial censuses of population to regular household surveys on specific social or economic issues and from periodic censuses to regular surveys of industry to provide current economic indicators. The DOS devotes considerable effort to producing statistics as a byproduct of administrative systems, and continually assesses user requirements and the capacity of providers to furnish additional data in an effort to update its system.
The Future
The gains made by The Bahamas in the statistical field over the past thirty years are indeed impressive and much has been achieved. Yet, much more needs to be done. The challenge in the years ahead is for The Bahamas to put in place a system that adequately responds to the changing social and economic environment. The Department realizes this, and continues to strive towards the goal of informed and satisfied users of an objective, relevant and responsive statistical service. Our aim is to provide reliable, timely and coherent statistics while maintaining good relations with providers. Through continuing productivity improvements, we seek to inculcate a high regard for the DOS by decision-makers and the community.
What we have today? A team of people with the skills and motivation to achieve the Department of Statistics mission.
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