Web Scraping for Consumer Price Index (CPI)

The Web Scraping for CPI Collaborative Project is an initiative of the United Nations Regional Hub for Africa, aimed at enhancing the capacity of National Statistical Offices (NSOs) in Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Tunisia, and Rwanda. The project focuses on web scraping prices for CPI and involves experts from the Bank of Italy (Luigi Palumbo) and Statistics Poland (Dominik Dabrowski).

The project comprises virtual training over four weeks, covering concepts, ethics, methodology, Python coding, and building a web scraper. It also include a one-week face-to-face training session at the NISR Training Centre in Kigali. The project outcomes include the development of skills in Python and web scraping, an understanding of methodological challenges and ethical considerations, and the identification of other applications of web scraping within NSOs such as tourism and job vacancies. The following link provided all the resources and documents pertaining to the CPI Web Scraping project (Resources).

The participating NSOs are keen to continue collaborating and sharing their knowledge with each other and with other African NSOs through webinars. They hope that the learning will spread outwards and impact evaluations will be undertaken in six months time. The project also considers the requirements and roadmap towards implementation, including getting senior level buy-in and resources. Overall, the Web Scraping for CPI Collaborative Project is a vital initiative in enhancing the capacity of NSOs in Africa to leverage data science techniques for better decision-making.

It is a pleasure to be hosting this first collaborative project here in Kigali. I did not know what to expect when I entered the room but everyone was concentrating and collaborating, it was so good to see. I am so impressed and inspired, and this is only the start. (Mr Yusuf Murangwa, DG, NISR)

Web scraping Prices for CPI, face-to-face training, 27 – 31 March 2023, NISR Training Centre, Kigali