Abu Dhabi: – Statistics Centre – Abu Dhabi (SCAD) and the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy (DoE) have signed a service-level agreement that allows collaboration between the two parties in the field of statistical integration as part of a strategy to develop an advanced statistical ecosystem which provides high-quality statistics through a decentralised model.

The agreement was signed by HE Ahmed Mahmoud Fikri, the Director General of SCAD and HE Eng. Ahmed Mohammed Belajer Al Rumaithi, Undersecretary of the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy (DoE), on the sidelines of the 15th edition of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) 2023, which is held on January 14-19, 2023, under the patronage of UAE President HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

According to the agreement, SCAD would support DoE in developing its statistical capabilities by applying the best practices and scientific methodologies for data integration through advanced solutions that can eliminate dependency on surveys and opinion polls. The integration is envisaged to optimise the usability of the administrative registers to sustain production of statistics along with saving time and effort.

DoE would be enabled to produce and publish its statistical indicators as per SCAD’s portfolio according to the approved methodologies, standards, and dissemination calendar to produce high-quality statistics in a timely manner.

HE Ahmed Mahmoud Fikri said: “This agreement highlights the importance of integration and collaboration between government entities in the field of statistics for building an advanced statistical ecosystem that contributes to the improvement of public services and standards of living in Abu Dhabi through a decentralised statistical model of data collection, analysis and dissemination taking into consideration the international best practices.”

His Excellency added: “The agreement helps government entities achieve higher levels of statistical maturity, meet user needs and support policy and decision makers to forecast the future, and achieve goals of the sustainable development plans across the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.”

For his part, H.E. Eng. Ahmed Mohammed Al Rumaithi, Undersecretary of the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy (DoE), welcomed the agreement and said: "We are pleased to sign this agreement with SCAD because of its utility in policy decision-making, research studies and planning based on modern data analytics, and the potential to apply the data to serve our clean energy goals.”

H.E. Al Rumaithi also pointed out that the Department of Energy seeks to support and consolidate the existing strategic partnerships between the Department and various local and federal government entities on areas of statistical information exchange, in a way that meets the needs of all parties and achieves common benefits.

Under this agreement, the DoE gets access to the SCAD's Insights and Foresights Platform (IFP), which was launched in October 2021 under the auspices of H.H. Sheikh Khalid bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office (ADEO). The platform provides insights, statistical analyses and forecasts that are essential for Abu Dhabi’s development plans and strategies.

The signing of the agreement comes at an important stage in which SCAD is developing an advanced statistical ecosystem that adopts a decentralised approach to achieve the highest standards of sustainability in the production of statistical indicators and to enable government entities to collect, analyse and publish data to meet the needs of users and support decision-makers.

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About Statistics Centre – Abu Dhabi (SCAD)

The Statistics Centre – Abu Dhabi (SCAD) was established by Law No. (7) of 2008 to organize and develop statistical work in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The SCAD’s role has been reregulated in 2021 and started to report to the Abu Dhabi Executive Office. It adopted a decentralized methodology in statistical work, in order to support decision-makers and entrepreneurs to devise strategic plans and policies and advance Abu Dhabi’s comprehensive and sustainable development.

SCAD has an independent legal personality and full financial independence, as well as full legal capacity to work in line with the Emirate's directions towards achieving sustainable economic and social development goals and the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030, under the supervision of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council.

Based on the law amendment, SCAD is now responsible for building a unified system for Abu Dhabi’s statistical information and unifying and managing all aspects of statistical work in the Emirate. This includes development and regulation of statistical frames for all activities and sectors and updating them periodically, as well as providing technical supervision of statistical work and data systems at government entities. That, in addition to collecting, classifying, storing, analyzing, processing, archiving, publishing, and protecting Abu Dhabi's statistical data obtained from various data sources.

SCAD is also responsible for making, developing, and disseminating estimates, projections, extrapolations, and forecasts. Additionally, the Centre is tasked with supporting government entities and transferring knowledge and expertise, thereby enabling them to provide reliable and accurate statistics. SCAD is also authorized to contract with any entity or company within or outside the Emirate to undertake data collection and other statistical activities.