The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) are currently undertaking a joint in-country mission at the Solomon Islands National Statistics Office (SINSO) towards the development of the Statistical Business Registry (SBR) and to further support improvements in economic statistics and data inputs towards the compilation of the gross domestic product (GDP) for the country.
The objectives of five-day mission is to achieve the following: (a) conduct a comprehensive quality assessment of the surveys and administrative data compiled by SINSO; (b) discuss detailed requirements and other concerns for the development of the SBR system of Solomon Islands; and,(c) provide recommendations and technical guidance for establishing and maintaining and SBR.
Two key issues of concern to discuss include the assessment of the availability of databases compiled by SINSO for the development of the BSR system of Solomon Islands, and review datasets and to prepare appropriate methodology to be used in the development and maintenance of the SBR of Solomon Islands in accordance with international standards.
The scope of work to be undertaken will be the assessment of data, processes and compilation practices by SINSO in support of their SBR system. It will also include discussion on the detailed requirements for the development of the SBR of Solomon Islands and in-depth review of the concepts, methodologies and recommendations on establishing and maintaining the SBR system of Solomon Islands.
The proposed mission will facilitate technical discussions focusing on the data scoping and assessment for the development of the SBR system of Solomon Islands.
The mission team will also consult with data source suppliers of the SBR including Company Haus, Inland Revenue Department, (IRD) and the Honiara City Council (HCC), a vital process to strengthen data sharing.
After the mission, it is expected that a comprehensive assessment report on the feasibility of the development of the SBR of Solomon Islands will be produced.
The mission concluded on Friday 15th March 2024.