THA Chief Secretary Hon. Kelvin Charles recently highlighted the importance of statistics in improving policies for the island. Tobago is among the islands in the region observing Caribbean Statistics Day in October.

“It has been agreed that Caribbean Statistics Day will be commemorated annually on the 15th of October. This event is geared towards highlighting statistics and its crucial role across a wide spectrum of activities and sectors in Government,” Charles said.

He indicated that statistics are key in making important decisions. This includes decisions in business, policy planning, research and academia.

He said highlighting the occasion helped Tobago in achieving a few components.

“Firstly, to place statistics high on the agenda and, secondly, to encourage and develop a culture of statistics among the Tobago population.  This is particularly important because there is generally an unwillingness to provide certain kinds of data by businesses.”

The Chief Secretary said not having the right information can result in policies that are flawed or inadequate.