The Institute of National Planning Institute (INP) held its Young Researchers Seminar for the 2024/2025 academic year titled “Data Quality Assessment Standards: Application to Egypt.” The seminar was presented by Ms. Salma Metwally, Assistant Lecturer at the Center for Economic Policies, and moderated by Dr. Islam Khalil, Lecturer at the Center for Regional Development and Co-Coordinator of the Seminar. The event was attended by Professor Dr. Ashraf El-Araby, President of INP; Professor Dr. Khaled Attia, Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies; and numerous academics and researchers from within and outside the institute.
This seminar aligns with the growing emphasis on data quality as essential for achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and ensuring transparency. Data quality also plays a pivotal role in effective planning, implementation, and evaluation of development programs and projects.
The session aimed to:
- Examine the current state of data quality in Egypt
- Analyze governmental data governance frameworks
- Identify obstacles affecting data quality and accuracy
- Highlight the importance of leveraging technology, artificial intelligence, and non-traditional data sources to enhance data quality and improve statistical modeling in Egypt.
Discussions included an analysis of hypothetical scenarios involving low-quality GDP data for Egypt, emphasizing the negative consequences of poor data quality such as:
- Eroded institutional trust
- Public resource mismanagement
- Compromised accuracy of national indicators and subsequent policy decisions
Moreover, the seminar reviewed ongoing efforts to improve data quality, primarily through:
- The National Strategy for Statistics (2017-2021)
- Implementation of a Data Quality Assurance Framework
- Data quality enhancements from the 2017 Population Census and the Sixth Economic Census (2022/2023)
The session underscored that high-quality data is a fundamental prerequisite for building reliable econometric models. Key barriers to achieving this were identified as follows:
- Lack of a unified data governance strategy across government entities
- Inadequate digital infrastructure
- Fragmentation of national databases hindering accurate information exchange
- Shortage of trained personnel in data analysis and modern technologies
- Insufficient availability of open data, impeding evidence-based research and decision-making
Finally, the seminar proposed several recommendations for enhancing Egypt’s data quality:
- Establishing a unified data governance authority
- Leveraging technology and innovation in data collection and analysis
- Promoting transparency and open data access
- Implementing capacity-building initiatives and training programs