The Statistics Centre – Abu Dhabi (SCAD) has launched the 5th cycle of the Statistical Maturity Index (SMI) project, which measures the readiness of Abu Dhabi government entities towards producing and disseminating high-quality statistics adhering to SCAD’s approved methodologies and standards.
The SMI is an important tool for ensuring the quality and reliability of official statistics produced by government entities in Abu Dhabi’s statistical ecosystem.
During the launch event, SCAD awarded 28 government entities for their contributions and achievements during the fourth cycle of the Statistical Maturity Index project.
In this context, H.E. Abdulla Gharib Alqemzi, Acting Director General of SCAD, said: “The remarkable progress achieved by the participating entities is a major step towards the enablement of Abu Dhabi government using reliable statistics and insights. The substantial improvement in the statistical maturity levels reflects a true commitment and dedication of our government to harness the power of data to make informed decisions and policies.”
H.E. added: “The SMI is aligned with Abu Dhabi government efforts to enhance the performance of key sectors including the knowledge-based economy in Abu Dhabi. The project comes in the context of our resolute dedication to fostering close collaboration with government entities to enable decision-makers through an advanced statistical ecosystem.”
During a workshop held on Wednesday 26 July 2023, SCAD introduced the SMI’s evaluation criteria and methodologies and the timeline of the project’s fifth cycle to the participating entities.
The SMI’s evaluation is based on two main criteria which measure the statistical maturity of government entities. The first is the government entities’ compliance with the laws and regulations set to build statistical capabilities and produce indicators. The second is measuring the commitment of government entities to the highest quality standards which are set by SCAD according to the international standards and best practices for data quality.
The index helps government entities to identify opportunities for improvement, as the results are being used to ensure the quality and reliability of official statistics in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
About the Statistics Centre – Abu Dhabi (SCAD):
Statistics Centre – Abu Dhabi (SCAD) was established by Law No. (7) of 2008 to organise and develop statistical work in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The Centre was reorganised by Law No. (5) of 2021, which placed SCAD under the Abu Dhabi Executive Office. In April 2023, in accordance with The Executive Council Decree No. (39) of 2023, SCAD’s affiliation was transferred to the Department of Government Support (DGS).
SCAD is entrusted with the responsibility of supporting government decision-makers by adopting a decentralised approach to statistical work. The Centre has an independent legal personality, full financial independence, and legal capacity to act in proportion to the emirate’s vision towards sustainable development and strategic planning.
Pursuant to its mandate, SCAD is responsible for establishing and developing an integrated statistical ecosystem in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. This is achieved by organising, unifying, and managing all aspects of the emirate’s statistical work, including building and regulating statistical frames for all activities and sectors, and updating them periodically. The Centre provides technical supervision of statistics and statistical data systems for government entities, and collects, classifies, stores, analyses, processes, archives, publishes, and protects Abu Dhabi’s statistical data obtained from data sources.
In addition, the Centre is vested with the responsibility of making, developing, and disseminating estimates, projections, analytics, and forecasts and supporting government entities with reliable statistics. SCAD is authorised to contract with any entity or company within or outside the Emirate to undertake data collection and other statistical activities.
