Developing a Gender-Disaggregated Statistics Programme for Borno State

Gender-disaggregated statistics are essential for monitoring the differential impact of policies and programmes on women and men in post-conflict Borno State, yet the state's statistical system produces minimal sex-disaggregated data on key social indicators. This study developed a gender-disaggregated statistics programme for Borno State, drawing on assessment of current state statistics production capacity and policy data needs. A professional programme development methodology was applied, incorporating structured consultations with 16 Borno State statistics, health, education, and social welfare officials, documentary analysis of state development plans and programme reports, and benchmarking against UN Statistics Division gender statistics guidelines and Statistics Sierra Leone gender statistics programme. Assessment confirmed that sex-disaggregated data were available for only 7 of 20 key gender indicators in the Borno State Development Plan, that the State Bureau of Statistics had no gender statistics focal person, and that education and health facility administrative records used inconsistent sex identification variables. The programme developed specifies institutional arrangements for gender statistics coordination, a minimum gender statistics data set of 18 priority indicators, administrative record standardisation requirements, capacity building for state sector statisticians, and dissemination through an annual Borno State Gender Statistics report. Expert review confirmed the programme's design quality. Recommendations include UNFPA and UN Women support for programme implementation, UBEC partnership for education gender data improvement, and piloting the indicators framework during the next round of state household surveys.

Keywords: gender-disaggregated statistics, Borno State, gender indicators, statistical capacity, post-conflict statistics