Gov’t Statistician Reaffirms Central Role of Data in National Development

Government Statistician, Dr Alhassan Iddrisu, has underscored the indispensable role of data in Ghana’s development efforts, insisting that no policy, budget, or national plan can succeed without strong, credible, and timely statistics.

Addressing participants at the 2025 annual forum for data producers, users and enhancers, held under the theme “Financing innovations in data and statistics for sustainable and inclusive development,” Dr Iddrisu emphasised that evidence, not assumptions, must guide decision-making at all levels of governance.

He stressed that budgeting, planning, performance management, and policy evaluation are all anchored on high-quality data. “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.”

According to him, strong data systems do more than inform policy; they save lives, boost investor confidence, and create pathways for national advancement. He noted that Ghana’s recent strides in statistical modernisation demonstrate what is possible when innovation is prioritised.

Highlighting key achievements, Dr Iddrisu pointed to the country’s first fully digital Population and Housing Census in 2021, which he said “set a new benchmark for speed, geospatial integration, and real-time quality assurance.” He also cited improvements across major national surveys including business, labour force, living standards, tourism, agriculture and informal cross-border trade, alongside enhanced administrative data systems designed to improve timeliness, accuracy and interoperability.

“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,” he said.

Dr Iddrisu attributed these advancements to strong collaboration, technical discipline, and a growing 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 noted.

Looking ahead, he explained that the third National Strategy for the Development of Statistics (NSDS III) will anchor the next chapter of reforms. The strategy aligns closely with the country’s digital transformation agenda and integrates data into planning, budgeting, and accountability frameworks.

He also referenced the Power of Data Initiative, introduced in 2024, which seeks to strengthen cooperation among government, academia, private industry, and civil society. Its mandate, he said, is clear: to make data “more visible, more usable, and more influential in shaping development outcomes.”

With the government seeking to accelerate progress on national development goals, Dr Iddrisu reiterated that Ghana’s future will be determined by the strength of the information it relies on, and the systems built to generate it.