The Ministry of Finance has commended the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) for the timely release of the provisional GDP figures for the fourth quarter of last year and pledged to continue to support the Service to provide high quality data to aid accurate decision making.
The Deputy Minister of Finance, Hon. Dr. John Ampontuah Kumah, said the Ministry of Finance is now guided by the current data in making its analysis. He indicated that current quarterly and annual GDP growth rates released by the Statistical Service show that Ghana is fast recovering from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We were impressed with the release of the Provisional Results within 44 days of completing field data collection. Now we are guided by the most current data in doing analysis in the Ministry.
“Government would continue to lead the staff to provide high quality statistics to guide the country’s growth and development as outlined in the Coordinated Programme for Economic and Social Development Policies”.
Dr. John Ampontuah Kumah
Dr. John Ampontuah Kumah also commended the GSS for embarking on the Annual Household Income and Expenditure Survey (AHIES) that would soon provide the country with data on quarterly Labour Force, Quarterly Multidimensional Poverty and Vulnerability Status.
The Deputy Minister expressed appreciation to the immediate past Board of the GSS for its wonderful guidance that culminated in the conduct of the first digital census in Ghana.
He indicated that a significant amount of money was spent on the 2021 Population and Housing Census and pleaded with the GSS to make the best use of the remaining resources, as other efforts to financially strengthen the Service could be considered.
New Governing Board for GSS Inaugurated
The new Governing Board for the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) was sworn in with a call to promote the effective use of statistics and stimulate research activities. The Board was also to provide guidance to the Government Statistician and the government in the areas of official statistics to guide Ghana’s growth and development.
At the inaugural ceremony of the seven-member board of the GSS, Hon. Dr. John Ampontuah Kumah emphasized that the country depended strongly on the Statistical Service to generate timely data to report on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and African Union Agenda 2063.
Dr. John Ampontuah Kumah therefore, entreated the governing board to work towards expanding the establishment post of the Service by ensuring experienced Senior officers lead the production of statistics and supervise the preparation of a suited Scheme of Service.
The Deputy Finance Minister also called on the Board to guide the conduct of all the censuses and surveys outlined in the Harmonizing and Improving Statistics in West Africa Project for the next three years. He also urged the Board to facilitate work within the National Statistical System and initiate the process for the drafting of the Legislative Instrument for the Statistical Service Act (2019), Act 1003.
The new Board, he noted, was relatively small and comprised of individuals with professional and diverse experience in statistics production and human resource management, and he admitted that those two important abilities were required in the transformation agenda initiated by the previous Board.
New Board to improve image of GSS
In her remarks, Dr. Grace Bediako, Chairperson of the Governing Board, assured that the assembled team with vast experience and an impressive track record, would seek to further improve the service’s image.
The Chairperson of the Governing Board expressed gratitude to the President of the Republic for his trust in the governing Board and emphasized their intention to collaborate with relevant government entities to give reliable statistics that would serve as a guide for the Government in its policy decision-making processes.
The seven-member Board has Dr. Grace Bediako as the Chairperson, while other members are, Prof Samuel Kobinan Annim, Ms. Ashiokai Akrong, Dr. Evans Aggry-Darko, Dr. Josephine Dzahene-Quarshie, Mr. Philip Abradu-Otoo and Prof Robert Darko Osei.
The Governing Board of the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) was established in accordance with Section 5 (2) of the Statistical Service Act (2019), Act 1003, which mandates the President of the Republic, in consultation with the Council of State, to appoint members of the governing board of GSS.
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