Long Serving ACEO Appointed as New Government Statistician

4 August 2022 Apia Samoa, Press Secretariat Release.

Cabinet has appointed a long-serving Assistant Chief Executive Officer (ACEO) as the new Government Statistician to lead the Samoa Bureau of Statistics.

With 30 years in the Bureau and 15 of those as ACEO Leota Aliielua Salani brings a wealth of experience to the role.

Leota has led numerous undertakings relating to the coordination and compilation of Statistical Activities surveys, reviews of national accounts systems as well as the development of a Composite Indicator that monitors and evaluates the performances of the various sectors of the economy.

A government press statement confirms that two other candidates had applied for the position.

According to the statement, the Selection Panel noted in their report that Leota has a holistic and a good in-depth knowledge of the overarching goals and core responsibilities of the Bureau, “in the provision of statistical data that it crucial to informing relevant policies to improve service delivery and achieve national resources”.

Leota has been appointed for the usual term of three years.

A review about the Samoa Bureau of Statistics

The Bureau of Statistics has a mandate to support statistical activities and services in Samoa.

In this role SBS can sometimes help in practical aspects of the design and carrying out of statistical activities, and provide information about best practise and international standards for statistics.

If you are involved in the development or use of statistics about Samoa, contact the Bureau. Advice can be given in areas including:

Questionnaire designSurvey designSample selection for household surveysMaps of sampled areasRecruitment and management of interviewersAdvice on processing dataTraining on statistical analysis and report writingStandard classifications and methods for Samoa