Government has committed to providing sustainable funding for Ghana’s statistical activities, in a move aimed at reducing the country’s reliance on donor support for the production of official data.
Government Statistician, Dr. Alhassan Iddrisu, said the commitment will cover key activities of the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), including censuses, surveys and administrative data collection.
Speaking to the media after the launch of Ghana in Numbers 2025 in Accra, Dr. Iddrisu said the government had assured the Service of financial support to sustain its core operations.
He said the commitment would mark a significant shift in the funding of statistical activities, which have largely depended on external development partners.
“Funding statistics largely with donor resources is going to be a thing of the past,” he stated.
According to him, the government recognises the importance of reliable data to national development and is prepared to take greater responsibility for financing its production.
He said the commitment would ensure that the GSS has the resources required to undertake its regular data collection activities.
“Because data is so relevant to our national development, the government has seen it fit to ensure that going forward, they’ll provide funding to support our core activities, including our censuses, our surveys, our administrative data collection,” he said.
Dr. Iddrisu described the government’s assurance as an important step towards securing sustainable financing for the country’s statistical system.
He added that the Ministry of Finance had also expressed readiness to support a proposed new Statistics Bill, which is expected to strengthen the legal framework governing the production of official statistics.
He said the proposed legislation would improve coordination across the national statistical system and provide institutional independence to support the work of the GSS.
The Service is also seeking to update the existing law to reflect emerging developments in data production, including artificial intelligence and geospatial technology.
Dr. Iddrisu said the reforms would help the GSS produce data faster and provide more relevant information for national planning and decision-making.
Source:Fiilafmonline/CitiNews
