Strong Data Systems Key to Ghana’s Progress- Government Statistician
Government Statistician, Dr Alhassan Iddrisu, has stressed that good policy is impossible without strong, credible, and timely data, warning that national development efforts depend on the strength of the country’s statistical systems.
Data at the Heart of Decision-Making
Speaking at the 2025 annual forum for data producers, users, and enhancers under the theme “Financing innovations in data and statistics for sustainable and inclusive development,” Dr Iddrisu highlighted the central role of evidence in governance.
He said, “Our progress on the SDGs and the Medium-Term National Development Policy Framework will rise or fall on the strength of our data systems. Data is the foundation of good governance. When the numbers are clear, decisions become smarter, fairer, and more accountable. The reverse is also true. If the data is weak, patchy, or underfunded, the decisions will be too. Without timely and reliable statistics, effective planning is impossible.”
Budgeting, planning, performance management, and policy evaluation, he noted, all rely on numbers that are accurate, timely, and complete.
Ghana’s Statistical Advances
Dr Iddrisu highlighted Ghana’s achievements in modernising its national statistical system. The 2021 Population and Housing Census, the country’s first fully digital census, “set a new benchmark for speed, geospatial integration, and real-time quality assurance.”
He added, “We have modernised major operations in our surveys: the Integrated Business Establishment Survey, the Ghana Living Standards Survey, annual income and expenditure work, labour force tracking, tourism and agriculture surveys, and informal cross-border trade. Administrative data systems are improving, with growing attention to interoperability so that policy-ready data does not arrive months or years late. We are also expanding new sources of insight, including the Governance Series, whose second wave was launched only recently.”
Dr Iddrisu emphasised that these gains were the result of careful planning, partnerships, and a national commitment to evidence-based decision-making. “These gains did not happen by chance. They are the result of sustained partnerships, technical discipline, and a national belief that evidence must shape our future,” he said.
Looking Ahead: NSDS III and the Power of Data Initiative
The Government Statistician said the third National Strategy for the Development of Statistics (NSDS III) will guide the next phase of reforms, aligning with Ghana’s digital transformation agenda and embedding data into planning, budgeting, and accountability frameworks.
He also highlighted the Power of Data Initiative, launched in 2024, which aims to strengthen collaboration between government, academia, industry, and civil society. “Its purpose is straightforward: make data more visible, more usable, and more influential in shaping development outcomes,” Dr Iddrisu said.
With Ghana committed to achieving the SDGs and accelerating national development, he concluded that robust data systems are no longer optional but essential to guiding investment, protecting lives, and driving progress.
