The three-day workshop was an opportunity to harmonize the specifications of these structures, whose role in supporting decentralization is increasingly important.
New wine is not kept in old wineskins, says the evangelist. If this adage is valid in viticulture, it is just as valid in the administration where professionals must regularly update their skills to face new challenges. As far as the INS is concerned, the last specifications of the Regional Agencies date back to 2012. Although it has made it possible to achieve a number of results, in particular the regular publication of the regional statistical yearbook, the fact remains that in the face of the new context, it has been necessary to define a new approach to the contribution of the NSI. This new context is justified in particular by the completion of decentralization, to which are added on the one hand the implementation of the UN’s 2030 agenda and the African Union’s 2063 agenda, and the second phase of Vision 2035, namely the National Development Strategy (SND30) and, on the other hand, the adoption of the third generation of the National Strategy for the Development of Statistics, support for the monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the SND30 and the occurrence of multifaceted crises. The work from 17 to 19 January 2022 aimed to establish a common approach to deal with this new environment. The work was chaired by the Director General of the INS, Joseph Tedou in the presence of his Deputy, Joseph She Etoundi and the heads of the decentralized services. In his opening speech, the DG of the INS informed the participants that the activity in which they are taking part is part of the preparatory steps for the implementation of a Regional Statistical Information System. The topics discussed during this meeting concerned the harmonious coordination of regional action and the coverage of users’ needs; improving inflation monitoring; the challenges of statistical production in situations of health and security crises and the establishment of a regional database. At the end of the three days of work, a series of recommendations emerged, the most significant of which are, on the one hand, the establishment of a platform for collaboration with the Regional Councils to provide them with technical support in the implementation of their development plans, and on the other hand, the development of a Regional Annual Work Plan, the implementation of which will provide a solution to the problem of staffing and funding. If we stick to the statements of the participants from the regions, this activity galvanizes the decentralised services and contributes to their greater involvement in the development of the INS.