MICS 7: NBSPartners UNICEF for National Survey on SDGs Progress

Funmi Ogundare

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), in collaboration with UNICEF, is conducting a survey to gather information on Nigeria’s progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in education, health, nutrition, and the socio-economic welfare of children, women, men and adolescents.

The Statistician General of the Federation and Chief Executive Officer of the NBS, Prince Adeyemi Adeniran, disclosed this yesterday at a workshop for the 7th round of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS 7) and the National Immunization Coverage Survey (NICS), in Lagos.

The workshop aims to determine the number of households to be surveyed nationwide and ensure that a representative sample is collected.

Adeniran explained that 38 indicators have so far been linked to the SDGs, marking the first time such a large number of indicators is being used in the survey series.

“The workshop is part of the series organised by UNICEF whenever they plan MICS in the country. It is a platform where the questionnaire for the survey tool is designed to interview respondents nationwide,” he said.

Adeniran also noted that the Nigerian MICS is the largest of its kind globally, requiring extensive planning and a robust governance structure,

adding that the NBS is reintroducing anthropometric measurements to assess the nutritional status of children under five years old, a practice that had been paused in the last two survey rounds.

Adeniran mentioned the rigorous training needed for this exercise.

His words: “The NBS is also introducing small area estimation, a methodology that will be used after the main survey results are obtained. This approach will allow for the estimation of selected indicators at the local government level, providing more detailed data than the usual national, state, and geopolitical zone results.”

The statistician general highlighted challenges encountered during surveys, such as insecurity, communal clashes, and flooding, and emphasized the importance of transparency in survey reporting.

He stated that safety assessments are conducted before sending staff to the field, and local communities are engaged to ensure cooperation.

“Technical approaches are used to substitute data collection in inaccessible areas,” he stated.

Wayne Bacale, Chief Planning, Monitoring, and Reporting at UNICEF, emphasised the goal of ensuring that the NBS has the right tools and consultation processes to carry out MICS 7 effectively in Nigeria, adding that representatives from academia and state and federal Bureau of Statistics participated in the workshop to share feedback and suggestions on the methodology.

Stephanie Kauv, MICS Regional Coordinator for UNICEF, described the survey as an innovative approach to data collection, providing key SDG indicators across various sectors.

These indicators are crucial for government policy and decision-making regarding the country’s progress, she said.