The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has underscored the critical role of data in driving the implementation of the government’s 24-Hour Economy initiative, stressing that reliable statistics will be essential for guiding policy decisions.
Speaking before Parliament’s Committee on Economy and Development, Government Statistician Dr. Alhassan Iddrisu said the Statistical Service has positioned itself to provide the data infrastructure required to support the government’s flagship economic transformation programme.
“The government is implementing a novel intervention called the 24-hour economy. You can’t do this if there’s no data,” Dr. Iddrisu stated.
He disclosed that the GSS has already begun engaging the 24-Hour Economy Secretariat to identify the indicators and datasets needed to monitor the programme’s implementation and impact.
“Quite recently, we have engaged the 24 Economy Secretariat to make sure that whatever data is needed, whatever indicators are needed, the Statistical Service puts itself in a position to be able to supply that. So we are partnering with the 24 Economy Secretariat to do just that,” he said.
Dr. Iddrisu noted that data-driven decision-making has become increasingly important amid multiple global challenges, including climate change and geopolitical conflicts, which have heightened pressure on governments to deploy scarce resources efficiently.
“When you are faced with a situation like that, you need to make sure that the little resources you have are actually directed towards programmes and activities that will yield you the best returns,” he said.
He added that governments cannot make timely and effective decisions without access to quality data.
“You need to make sure that you are taking decisions prudently, you are taking decisions on time, and you are taking decisions that would guarantee progress. If you don’t have data readily available, you cannot do that,” he stressed.
According to the Government Statistician, the GSS has significantly expanded its data production efforts in recent years while also improving dissemination to ensure that policymakers, businesses, households and other stakeholders can make informed decisions.
He cited the recent release of multidimensional poverty data covering all 261 districts nationwide, which provided policymakers with insights into poverty levels relating to income, employment, education and health outcomes.
Dr. Iddrisu explained that such district-level data enables government and development partners to target interventions more effectively.
“When you are able to do that, then we are able to give policymakers and other stakeholders the ability to actually direct resources at where they are most needed,” he said.
Beyond supporting the 24-Hour Economy, the GSS is also undertaking major statistical reforms, including the rebasing of Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Consumer Price Index (CPI), which are key indicators used to assess economic performance.
He said the exercise is progressing steadily and could be completed by mid-2027 if funding continues to be released as planned.
“The Minister of Finance is graciously supporting us with resources to do that. It is our considered opinion that if we are fully resourced and the releases come on time, between now and the middle of 2027, we will be able to fully rebase the CPI and then the GDP so we have better data that can support national development,” he noted.
Dr. Iddrisu further called for data and statistics to be treated as critical national infrastructure, comparable to roads, education and health systems.
“We have to begin to treat data and statistics as infrastructure, just as we treat roads as infrastructure, education infrastructure and health infrastructure,” he said.
He argued that sustained investment in data generation and dissemination would be crucial to supporting Ghana’s economic transformation agenda and preserving recent macroeconomic stability gains.
The Government Statistician also highlighted capacity constraints within the Statistical Service, revealing that the institution currently operates with fewer than half of the staff required to effectively carry out its mandate.
“We are supposed to be working with about 560 staff to do the work we are doing. We are currently working with only 250 staff,” he disclosed.
To support ongoing statistical reforms, Dr. Iddrisu said the Ministry of Finance has allocated GH¢207 million in the 2026 budget for CPI rebasing activities, with part of the funds already released to the Service.
He appealed for sustained financial and human resource support to enable the GSS to continue providing the data needed to guide Ghana’s development agenda.
