The first-phase of the survey training was held in July 2023. Organised by the Ministry and coordinated by the Civil Service Reform and Planning Unit, the capacity building was held at the Management Development Institute (MDI), Kanifing.
Overall, the training seeks to help develop the capacities of the Ministry’s staff on research skills and tools so as to carry out relevant and timely surveys, thus enhancing the Ministry’s institutional capacity to conduct relevant surveys in order to inform the policy formulation process
Besides, the training according to the ministry’s officials, will expose the staff to the concepts, methods, and stages for the planning and implementation of a sample survey.
In power point presentation, Mr. Baboucarr Foon, IT trainer informed participants of the three types of surveys, which he said, include online phone interviews, paper-based or in-person interviews.
Also presenting, Alieu Darboe, Director of facilities at the University of The Gambia (UTG), made his presentation on two components i.e. ‘An overview of various surveys types and Data Analysis methods.’
Darboe explained the different types of surveys research which, he catalogued as exploratory, descriptive and causal-comparative surveys.
“Data analysis is an important part of both scientific research and business, where demand has grown in recent years for data-driven decision making. Data analysis techniques are used to gain useful insights from datasets which can then be used to make operational decisions or guide future research,” Mr. Darboe explained.
Yaya Sawo, management trainer, Business Studies Department at MDI, also dwelt on the ‘Challenges of Survey Data collection and solutions.’
At the end of the training, MDI awarded each participant with a certificate of participation.
