District officers in charge of forestry were yesterday trained how to collect forestry data in a harmonised framework.

The training included the methodology of data collection and reporting by experts from the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR).

Frank Rutabingwa, the Deputy Director General in charge of Forestry at the Rwanda Natural Resources Authority (RNRA) said that the training is important as the officers would be equipped with skills of data collection.

"They have been collecting data in a divergent manner because each officer had his or her own method which would result into collection of complicated data,” he said.

He mentioned that harmonised methods of data collection would facilitate better planning of reforestation programs in districts.

According to Baudouin Ruterana, the Director of Demographic and Social Statistics at NISR, the training is in line with his institution’s mandate to enhance skills used in collecting administrative data.

"These officials lacked sufficient approaches to collect data understood by everybody. The statistics they came up with initially were so complicated and difficult to interpret,” he noted.

Ruterana urged them to grasp the newly acquired tools to enable them execute their duties in a simplified and harmonised manner.

One of the trainees, Phoebe Mukamana, said that the training would equip her with techniques to use in collecting data.

"It has been difficult to gather data from various locations in the district because the methods I was using were not up to standard,” she asserted.

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