In accordance with its 2014 Annual Work Plan, SESRIC organised the Training Course on 'Information Society Statistics' at the National Institute of Statistics (INS) in Niamey, Niger on 14-15 January 2014. The training was attended by 20 experts from the INS, AJSN, ANP, CSC, DS Communication, IFTIC, MCT/EN, ONEP, and ORTN (Télé Sahel and Voix du Sahel). Mr. Bouazza Bouchkhar, an expert of the Directorate of Statistics at the High Commission for Planning of Morocco, was the trainer for the training programme.

As defined in the Classification of Statistical Activities (CSA Rev. 1 - October 2009), information society statistics allow to assess the use and impact of information and communication technologies on society, and include access and use of information and communication technologies (ICT) (including Internet), ICT expenditure and investment, ICT infrastructure, telecommunication networks, electronic communications, e-government, electronic commerce, e-learning, broadband penetration, ICT services, communication tariffs, network infrastructure, revenues, expenses and investment of operators, Internet indicators, trade in telecommunications equipment. The subject area “Information society statistics” is currently classified under the “Multi-domain statistics and indicators”, an activities category under the “Environment and multi-domain statistics” domain.

The training course on 'Information Society Statistics' included group work and discussion activities, and covered the following topics: 

• Institutional issues
  • National statistical information system
  • National statistical information council
  • Communication statistics system
  • National statistical information development strategy
  • Development of information society statistics
  • Cooperation and coordination
• Roles of the national and international stakeholders in information society statistics
  • Work of international organizations
  • Stakeholders in national statistical systems
• Methodological issues
  • Conceptual framework for measuring the information society
  • Key concepts and definitions
  • Measurement topics
  • Measurement indicators
  • International norms and standards
  • Key indicators
  • Data sources
  • Data production process
  • Data collection methods
  • Data processing
  • Data quality
  • Data and metadata dissemination

Photos