Japan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have extended technical assistance to Zimbabwe to implement the Enhanced General Data Dissemination System (e-GDDS), a platform to publish essential macroeconomic and financial data.

The e-GDDS is the first tier of the IMF Data Standards Initiatives that promote transparency as a global public good and encourage countries to voluntarily publish timely data that is essential for monitoring and analysing economic performance.

The IMF says the launch of the data portal—the National Summary Data Page —is a testament to Zimbabwe’s commitment to data transparency.

“The National Summary Data Page will serve as a one-stop publication for disseminating the data recommended under the e-GDDS, covering national accounts and prices, government operations and debt, the monetary and financial sector, and the external sector,” says IMF.

The Bretton Woods Institution notes the National Summary Data Page will facilitate access for data users in Zimbabwe and abroad, including policymakers, financial sector, private investors, think tanks, and the media.

More broadly, it says: “having data in line with the e-GDDS means it should be accessible in a standardised way to facilitate analysis of economic trends across countries and to provide an early detection of risks to help avert economic crises, thus supporting sustainable economic growth and development.”

The National Summary Data Page is hosted on Zimbabwe’s national Open Data Platform, which is provided by the African Development Bank, and utilises a modern data publication technology.

Bert Kroese, chief statistician and data officer, and director of the IMF’s statistics department, welcomed this major milestone in the country’s statistical development.

“I am confident that Zimbabwe will benefit from using the e-GDDS as a framework for further development of its statistical system.”