Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services

Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services
Name	Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services
Formation	1970s
Type	National statistical office
Headquarters	Monrovia, Montserrado County
Leader title	Director General
Parent organization	Government of Liberia

Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services is the national statistical authority responsible for national censuses, surveys, and geo-spatial information in Liberia. It coordinates statistical activities with ministries such as the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (Liberia), international bodies including the United Nations and the World Bank, and regional entities like the Economic Community of West African States. The institute supports planning across agencies such as the Ministry of Health (Liberia), Ministry of Education (Liberia), and the Central Bank of Liberia through data provision and mapping.

History

The institute traces origins to colonial-era enumeration efforts tied to administrations in Liberia and early post-independence institutions that interacted with organizations such as the United Nations Statistical Commission, the Food and Agriculture Organization, and the United Nations Children's Fund. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s it engaged with projects funded by the International Monetary Fund, the African Development Bank, and bilateral partners like United States Agency for International Development and United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Civil conflict in the 1990s interrupted operations, necessitating post-conflict reconstruction supported by the United Nations Mission in Liberia and the European Union. Rehabilitation included technical assistance from the United Nations Development Programme and collaboration with statistical agencies such as the United States Census Bureau and Statistics South Africa.

Mandate and Legal Framework

Statutory authority and responsibilities derive from national legislation enacted to align with principles promulgated by the United Nations and the International Monetary Fund. The institute’s legal framework mandates census conduct comparable to practices endorsed by the United Nations Statistical Commission, and it cooperates under protocols with bodies such as the World Health Organization, the International Labour Organization, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Legal instruments require coordination with line ministries including the Ministry of Agriculture (Liberia) and agencies such as the National Elections Commission (Liberia) for population registers used in planning and electoral administration.

Organizational Structure

The institute is typically organized into technical divisions similar to structures in agencies like Statistics Canada, Office for National Statistics (United Kingdom), and Institut National de la Statistique et des Études Économiques (France). Principal departments include census operations, household surveys, geo-information and cartography, information technology, data processing, and dissemination units that liaise with partners such as the World Bank and United Nations Population Fund. Field offices operate in counties including Bong County, Nimba County, Grand Bassa County, and Lofa County to coordinate enumeration with county administrations and ministries like the Ministry of Internal Affairs (Liberia).

Functions and Services

Core functions encompass planning and executing population and housing censuses, demographic and health surveys, agricultural censuses in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization, labour force surveys with technical guidance from the International Labour Organization, and economic surveys used by the Central Bank of Liberia and the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (Liberia). Geo-spatial services produce maps and geographic information systems utilized by agencies such as the Ministry of Transport (Liberia), the Ministry of Public Works (Liberia), and humanitarian actors including International Organization for Migration and Médecins Sans Frontières. Data quality assurance follows standards promoted by the United Nations Statistical Commission and the African Union.

Major Projects and Surveys

Major undertakings include national censuses comparable to exercises conducted by Nigeria, Ghana Statistical Service, and Sierra Leone Statistics, demographic and health surveys modeled on the Demographic and Health Surveys Program, multiple rounds of household income and expenditure surveys similar to those used by the World Bank's poverty assessments, agricultural censuses in line with FAO guidelines, and geo-referencing projects influenced by work from Esri and the Global Positioning System community. Emergency assessments have been executed in coordination with United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and ReliefWeb partners during crises such as the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa.

Data Access and Publications

The institute issues statistical bulletins, census reports, and maps that mirror dissemination practices of agencies like Eurostat and United Nations Statistics Division. Publications support analysis by research institutions such as the University of Liberia, think tanks working with the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, and non-governmental organizations including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch for monitoring indicators related to population, health, and livelihoods. Data sharing protocols align with standards from the World Health Organization and the Global Fund for disease surveillance and program monitoring.

International and Regional Partnerships

International cooperation spans multilateral and bilateral partners such as the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank, the African Development Bank, United States Agency for International Development, Japan International Cooperation Agency, and the European Union. Regional collaboration includes engagement with the Economic Community of West African States, the African Union's statistical initiatives, and technical networks involving West African Statistical Training Centre and statistical offices like Statistics Sierra Leone, Ghana Statistical Service, and Statistics Nigeria. Partnerships facilitate capacity building with institutions such as London School of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and University of Oxford through training, research exchange, and methodological harmonization.

Category:Statistics agencies