The Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations (MELR) has entered into a partnership agreement with the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) to collaborate in the generation and streamlining of data on labour to inform policy decisions.

The two entities, meanwhile, signed a Memorandum of Understating (MoU) to ensure that the Ministry’s Research Department works closely with the GSS to generate labour statistics to inform coordinated response to challenges in the sector.

Mr Ignatius Baffour Awuah, the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, signed the agreement on behalf of the Ministry, while Professor Samuel K. Annim, the Government Statistician, signed on behalf of the GSS. The GSS is currently undertaking preparatory works for the Annual Household and Income and Expenditure Survey, and the Ghana Living Income Standard Survey (Volume 8) – and the MELR is expected to play a key role in the process.

As part of the partnership, the Ministry also launched the Micro-Data Dissemination Policy to guide data dissemination in the sector; becoming the first Ministry to develop such a policy.

Mr Awuah noted that the MELR, in keeping up with its responsibility of formulating labour policies and data, attached so much importance to its relationship with the GSS; adding that the partnership would help the Ministry to expand its reach in terms of data collection. He stated it is crucial for the country to develop its own data and not rely on international bodies who may not appreciate the Ghanaian context with respect to the definition of concepts.

Collaboration To Streamline Labour-Related Data

Mr Awuah noted that the collaboration would help to streamline labour-related data and build the capacities of the Ministry’s staff to learn from best practices. “We are ready to collaborate with you to help us streamline our statistical figures that we give out. We hope this collaboration will be a point of reference to others,” the Minister said.

Prof. Annim, on his part, noted that the partnership forms part of a broader scheme by the GSS, to ensure that it has bilateral MoU with all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies and stakeholders within the space of data production and data use.

Prof. Annim stated that the country needs to find a mechanism where it could consolidate all the different data sets that are being collected by different government agencies and the use of same. “Within the current dispensation of the complex challenges that we have, as a global community, we are so convinced that no single data source can help us address the multiplicity of challenges that we face,” Prof. Annim said.

Prof. Annim noted that the strengthening of relationships between the GSS and Government institutions would help to identify the details of policy documents and how they are being implemented across the country.