Mr Thomas Nyarko Ampem, Deputy Minister of Finance, has reaffirmed government’s commitment to investing in high-quality data systems as a foundation for strengthening good governance and inclusive development.
Speaking at the inaugural 2025 Annual Forum for Data Producers, Users and Enhancers, held to mark the 2025 African Statistics Day, he said data investment enhances the quality of public expenditure, empowers citizens, drives innovation and supports equitable national growth.
Mr Ampem said Ghana was transitioning from donor-dependent statistical financing to a sustainable, nationally driven model.
He noted that the 2026 Budget had allocated GH¢207 million to support essential operations, including rebasing GDP and the Consumer Price Index, completing national surveys, and improving economic and price measurement systems.
He added that the budget also backed the expansion of the Monthly Indicator of Economic Growth (MIEG), placing Ghana among a select group of countries using near-real-time economic data.
He noted that the tool could shorten policy response times by up to 10 weeks relative to traditional quarterly indicators
A major reform underway, he explained, was the integration of administrative data systems using the Ghana Card’s unique identifier.
This innovation is expected to reduce future census costs by more than 70 percent while ensuring continuous, reliable population and sectoral data.
The Deputy Minister also highlighted the rollout of ‘Ghana in Numbers,’ a new annual, visual, globally benchmarked data publication intended to make statistics more accessible and meaningful to the public and policymakers.
To strengthen the statistical ecosystem further, he said government was reviewing the Statistical Service Act to enhance the independence, authority and global standing of the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS).
He stressed that without quality data, planning becomes speculative, policymaking inefficient, and development outcomes uneven.
“Data drives smarter investments. It ensures that public resources are directed where they are needed most,” he said.
Mr Ampem indicated that Ghana had made major progress in modernising its statistical systems, including delivering West Africa’s first fully digital Population and Housing Census, which processed data three times faster than previous cycles.
The institutionalization of high-frequency surveys had also provided real-time insights into welfare conditions, labour market dynamics and business trends.
Dr Alhassan Iddrisu, the Government Statistician, said the year’s theme affirmed that a nation becomes what it measures, funds and chooses to understand.
He noted that producing, financing, and using data effectively strengthens institutions, protects vulnerable groups and expands opportunities for communities.
Dr Wilfred Ochan, Co-Chair of the GSSDP Group, said the annual forum demonstrated the GSS’s commitment to delivering high-quality data.
He called for greater investment in data production, noting that data achieved its value only when credible, accessible and effectively utilized.
