57148 No. 125 December 1998 The Africa Live Data Base : Statistics for Development The Africa Live Database (LDB) is a user-friendly computer-based data tool that consists of (i) a Local Data Base-- a tool for in-depth economic work (ii) Query-- a tool for storing and manipulating economic and sectoral variables and (iii) Africa Briefings-- presorted ready-to- use data. The system was developed by the Africa Region of the World Bank with two complementary goals in mind: (i) in the short term, to provide staff in the region with an efficient means of collecting, analyzing and manipulating economic and sectoral data and (ii) in the long term, to become the linchpin of a major effort for capacity building in African countries, aimed at upgrading local capacity in statistical data collection and analysis. This, combined with other initiatives, could then become a powerful tool for monitoring the impact of policy on development. The LDB responds to three sets of client needs: (i) staff in the World Bank (ii) users of statistical information (national statistical offices, planning ministries, sector ministries) in client countries and (iii) other users of statistical information worldwide-- other donors, researchers, banks, etc. Achieving objectives The first goal has been achieved. The second is in progress. - Over the past few years, a team in the Africa region, in close partnership with the Development Economics Vice-Presidency, has revolutionized the way macro economists in the Africa region use their time to analyze data; produce standard tables; and compare country performance indicators to enhance the quality of decision-making. Staff are now able to maintain and manage data in a consistent format, which enables the efficient production of reports and allows for policymaking in the African countries and the Bank to be informed by data in an unprecedented way. - The Bank's goal of disseminating information to support the policy decisions of its external constituents has been made easier by the LDB, as it has led to the annual issue of African Development Indicators. - The project has also led to a renewed emphasis on the quality of data, both among headquarters' staff and in statistical offices in the field. - The LDB is serving as the linchpin of a region-wide statistical capacity building and connectivity effort. The Bank is collaborating with the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) to improve the availability and quality of development statistics in Africa. In addition, the Bank has made the system available to the African Development Bank (ADB), launched a pilot program in Mozambique, and started to explore the possibilities of implementing it in other countries such as Ethiopia and Rwanda. - The LDB will increase consistency in data collection and usage across development agencies, minimizing their current overlapping data collecting initiatives. Lessons learned Client input is critical : Incorporating client views and needs must be central to the design and use of the product. The LDB team used focus groups to help design the system. Adoption of the system was made voluntary, and feedback from the users --as well as non-users-- was used to improve the system and to widen the pool of potential users. Thus, sectoral information was added to the initial macroeconomic set of indicators. A third demonstrated client need was the desire for a tool that provides pre-formatted overview data and quick access to reports for country assistance strategy reports. In response to this need, the team developed an executive tool called Africa Briefings. Throughout this process, a hot line has responded to concerns, and suggestions for improving the design. Continuous communication has been maintained with user groups, resulting in a high level of satisfaction as demonstrated through surveys. Partnerships matter : The LDB illustrates the value of internal and external partnerships. Internally, the LDB "network" is comprised of persons from different departments who contribute different skills and roles. External partners now include ECA, which is collaborating with the LDB in a strategy to upgrade statistical capacity throughout Africa. Other external partners who will become LDB users and --in the long run-- contributors to the system include the ADB, and some African countries such as Mozambique, Ethiopia and Rwanda. The partners have added considerable value to the initiative's design and implementation. Promoting efficiency : The team identified the most cost-effective ways to achieve results, as demonstrated in a number of ways. First, the system was linked to existing Bank data bases, thus making it an effective one-stop tool for all statistical needs. Second, it created standard templates for table production, thus eliminating the need for users to produce these time and again. Third, it programmed the ADI as a spin-off of the system. The team recognized that staff are by and large overworked and do not accept or use new technology easily. The programming work was therefore designed to make the system as user- friendly as possible, thus saving substantially on training needs for staff. Staff in the region are also saving considerable time previously spent looking for data, and assembling them in a routine format. Bank documents are cheaper to produce as a result, while staff can dedicate their time to more substantial policy issues. Use innovation as a wedge : Prior to the LDB, data in the World Bank resided in a mainframe data base, in published documents and ad hoc data bases created by task managers. The LDB innovation lay in recognizing the critical need for a user-friendly system that by-passed the burdensome entry requirements of the mainframe, that brought about a measure of consistency to ad hoc data bases and that used cutting edge information technology to combine graphics, data and manipulation tools in a single format. In addition, it introduced agreed targets to monitor performance of indicators for policy-making purposes. Also, the team managed to convince a group of sceptical managers to improve data in the region. Once the initial system was successfully developed, the team has continued to invent new applications, and ways to expand the tool well beyond the original client group, and has disseminated the concept and design to other regions at substantial savings on research and development costs. Team work is essential : Team work has been the bed-rock of the project. Team work and conflict resolution were guided by two implicit principles: (i) the realization that the pace of the project would be dictated by the slowest person and that it was up to each team member to move the others along; and (ii) the complete absence of hierarchical formalities. The latter consideration meant that team members learned from each other. The composition of the team-- with persons from two different Bank departments-- occasionally led to conflicts, but in all cases, the realization that the overall welfare of the product was more important than intra-departmental concerns resulted in the amicable resolution of issues. As the product grew in visibility, so did the personal responsibility that each member felt for it. The value of people and process : As the project evolved, the most important lesson learned has been that technology by itself will not improve the quality of data. Therefore, substantial efforts had to be deployed to set up new data management guidelines, involving clear responsibilities for (i) data file modifications and quality controls; and (ii) predictable and enforceable time tables for reporting to central files. Once the initial resistance to the guidelines was overcome, the new technology was able to be utilized at its maximum potential. Management backing is crucial : The system was originally conceptualized and piloted on staff overtime, and its relatively quick acceptance led directly from the system's merits. However, mainstreaming was only achieved after top management visibly backed it and made it mandatory to comply with established guidelines. For more information on the LDB, please contact Maria Cristina Germany, Room no. J5-007, World Bank, 1818 H Street NW, Washington D.C. 20043. Tel. no. : ( 202) 4734793; e-mail address : Mgermany@worldbank.org Findings reports on ongoing operational, economic and sector work carried out by the World Bank and its member governments in the Africa Region. It is published periodically by the Knowledge Management and Learning Center on behalf of the Region