The organization and management of statistical services in Africa: Why do they fail?

This paper argues that improving statistical information for food security planning requires an analysis of the way that government statistical services are managed and organized. It is suggested that these services have failed because of a failure of both supply and demand. Further investment in existing organizations may well be ineffective without a reappraisal of the role that information plays in the decision making process. It is suggested that the distinction between data collection and decision making is artificial, and that continued separation of data collection activities from policy analysis has resulted in the development of statistical organizations that do not meet the real needs of governments.