Ghana urged to adopt new financing models and modern technologies to strengthen national data system

Ghana’s first Annual Forum for Data Producers, Users and Enhancers has called for urgent reforms to secure sustainable financing, modern technology adoption and stronger governance standards to support the country’s growing demand for high-quality data.

The forum, held in Accra on December 8, 2025, brought together government agencies, development partners, private sector actors, civil society organisations and academics under the theme “Financing Innovations in Data and Statistics for Sustainable and Inclusive Development.” It coincided with the commemoration of African Statistics Day 2025, which focused on leveraging data innovations to foster a just, peaceful and inclusive society.

Convened under the auspices of the Ghana Statistical Service Development Partner Group (GSSDPG), the event sought to identify persistent barriers undermining Ghana’s statistical system, explore innovative approaches to data generation, and propose new strategies to improve national ownership and the visibility of data in policymaking.

In a decade marked by major digital advances, including Ghana’s first fully digital Population and Housing Census in 2021, high-frequency socio-economic surveys and expanded enterprise and agricultural statistics, participants noted that progress had outpaced the financing available to sustain it. Despite significant modernisation supported by digital platforms such as StatsBank and the Ghana Stats App, the forum observed that chronic underfunding, weak coordination and limited institutional capacity continued to hinder the country’s data ecosystem.

The speakers also emphasised the importance of adopting innovative technologies including artificial intelligence, digital data tools, geospatial systems and real-time platforms to enhance the quality, efficiency and accessibility of data. Strengthening collaboration across government, academia, civil society and the private sector was also highlighted as crucial to widening data use and promoting evidence-informed national decision-making.

At the end of the deliberations, participants agreed on a set of recommendations, beginning with the creation of new financing models such as a national data fund that pools resources from government, donors and the private sector. They further proposed mainstreaming data financing into sector budgets and adopting public-private partnerships that deliver mutual value.

Other recommendations included promoting digital innovations in data production, strengthening governance frameworks to ensure quality and interoperability, improving accessibility through user-friendly platforms including local-language tools, and supporting capacity-building across institutions for analysts, MPs, journalists, teachers and regional data teams.

Cross-sector collaboration was also identified as essential to breaking institutional silos, encouraging joint research and ensuring shared responsibility in advancing a national culture of data use.

The communique issued at the end of the forum stated that Ghana’s progress hinges on strong data systems. “When data is produced well, funded well, shared well, and used well, it leads to smarter decisions, fairer policies, stronger public services, better use of public money, and more opportunities for every community,” it said.

The forum called on all institutions and citizens to support sustainable financing, adopt modern technologies, strengthen governance standards and uphold practices that ensure data guides Ghana’s development choices. The communique was adopted and issued in Accra on December 8, 2025.