Ghana is a talk show country – Bokpin

Economist Professor Godfred Bokpin has delivered a strong critique of public discourse in Ghana, arguing that national conversations are too often driven by emotion rather than evidence.

He emphasised the urgent need to prioritise data, its use, accessibility, and relevance in shaping public policy.

Professor Bokpin made the remarks during a panel discussion at the 2025 Annual Forum for Data Producers, Users, and Enhancers, where he underscored that putting data at the centre of national dialogue is essential for sound economic decision-making.

“As an academic, I put more emphasis on data than gold because I can do without gold. Countries have managed their affairs without gold deposits. I will choose data over gold. I will choose data over oil. I will choose data over every input because, without data, nothing gets done. That is how important data is,” he said.

He noted that although the Ghana Statistical Service generates vast amounts of valuable data, much of it remains underutilised. He called for stronger efforts to harness this resource for economic planning and business strategy.

“There is so much data that is harvested in this country by the Ghana Statistical Service. Sometimes we think that the Ghana Statistical Service exists only to give a GDP number. They do so much, so much. But the question is, in our daily life, how often do we rely on data? How data-driven are we? This country is a talk show country. Forgive me.

“The reason this country is a talk show country is that a lot of our discussions across the media platform is not driven by data. If we were driven by data as a country, there would be less disagreement in our discussions on media platforms, and there would be less emotion and probably less fighting. You understand that? Because the data is what it is,” Professor Bokpin remarked.

He argued that once data becomes central to national conversations, debates can proceed dispassionately, regardless of political affiliation, ultimately leading to better-informed policy and economic reforms.

“If we are doing well, the data says so; it doesn’t matter which party you belong to. So inflation has come down to 6.3%. You don’t need a prophet to tell you this is it, and the implication because this is what it is. So sometimes our dogmatism and all of that is magnified because we are less driven by data. Sometimes you see people making arguments driven by emotions.

“The reason that is happening is that they have not looked at the data. What is the data saying? I think that we are at a point where we can elevate data in terms of its usage, accessibility, and we need to put data at the forefront of national discussion. This way, Ghana will be able to make meaningful progress,” Professor Bokpin mentioned.