World Bank Country Manager Commends Stats SL During Visit to Review HISWA Project Progress

The World Bank Country Manager, Dr. Abdu Muwonge, paid a courtesy visit to Stats SL and praised the organization’s great accomplishment in providing credible statistics to Sierra Leone over the years. The purpose of the visit was to acquire an update on the Harmonizing and Improving Statistics in West Africa (HISWA) Project’s implementation and management status.

The HISWA project is a World Bank Group initiative that aims to harmonize, strengthen, and improve the national statistical systems of seven West African countries by producing, disseminating, and improving the use of core economic, social, and administrative statistics. These West African countries are: Sierra Leone, Togo, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, and Côte d’Ivoire.

Andrew Bob Johnny, Statistician-General of Stats SL, thanked the World Bank for its support of the institution’s initiatives and activities through the HISWA Project. He talked about the project’s numerous benefits, saying that it has helped to support household-based surveys at the national level, improve the collection of a core set of socioeconomic and administrative data sources, support the modernization of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), improve data accessibility and dissemination, and strengthen institutional reforms and staff capacity.

He continued by complimenting the Project Fiduciary Management Unit (PFMU)of the Ministry of Finance, for effectively managing the project’s fiduciary activities on a daily basis.

Moses Williams, Chairman of the Stats SL Council, commended the World Bank and the HISWA Project team for allowing and providing life to the institution throughout the project’s lifespan, allowing it to successfully carry out its programs and activities. He urged the Bank to always include the institution in its funding plans and projects, even after the current project expires in December 2025.

Dr. Abdu Muonge, World Bank Country Manager, congratulated Stats SL for its contribution to national development. He explained the importance of Stats SL’s work in planning, informing policy formation, resource distribution, and development initiative implementation.

He explained the need for additional enabling environment and space for the institution to function well and achieve its mandate.

The Project Coordinator, Dr. Albert Kenneth Bangura-Will, ended the engagement with a comprehensive update on the status of the Harmonizing and Improving Statistics in West Africa project

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