{"id":106003,"date":"2025-12-09T07:47:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T07:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=106003"},"modified":"2025-12-09T07:47:00","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T07:47:00","slug":"investment-in-data-production-strengthens-governance-deputy-finance-minister","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=106003","title":{"rendered":"Investment in data production strengthens governance \u2013 Deputy Finance Minister"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class='booster-block booster-read-block'>\n                <div class=\"twp-read-time\">\n                \t<i class=\"booster-icon twp-clock\"><\/i> <span>Read Time:<\/span>2 Minute, 28 Second                <\/div>\n\n            <\/div><div>\n<p>Deputy Minister of Finance, Thomas Nyarko Ampem, has underscored the importance of investing in quality data to strengthen good governance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe know that when we invest in data, we improve the quality of public expenditure, we empower citizens, we energise innovation, and we create opportunities for equitable and inclusive development,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>The Deputy Minister said this at the inaugural 2025 Annual Forum for Data Producers, Users, and Enhancers, which also serves to commemorate the 2025 African Statistics Day.<\/p>\n<p>The programme was on the theme: \u201cFinancing Innovations in Data and Statistics for Sustainable and Inclusive Development.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u202fHe said the country was moving from donor-reliant<\/p>\n<p>financing arrangements toward a model grounded in national ownership and sustainable investment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am proud to note that the 2026 budget allocates GH\u00a2207 million to advance critical operations including rebasing GDP and CPI, completing key national surveys, and strengthening economic performance and price measurement,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>The budget, he stressed, also supported the scaling of the Monthly Indicator of Economic Growth (MIEG), placing Ghana among a select group of countries using near-real-time data to manage the economy.<\/p>\n<p>\u202fThis tool will enable policy responses up to 10 weeks faster than traditional quarterly estimates.<\/p>\n<p>Mr Ampem said a major reform was the integration of administrative data systems using the Ghana Card\u2019s unique identifier.<\/p>\n<p>This innovation, explained, was projected to cut future census costs by over 70 per cent, while delivering continuous, high-quality population and sectoral data.<\/p>\n<p>He said another transformative measure was the launch of Ghana in Numbers, a new annual, visual, globally benchmarked data publication designed to turn statistics into compelling narratives for the public and policymakers.<\/p>\n<p>To reinforce this ecosystem, he said, the government was reviewing the Statistical Service Act to further strengthen the independence, authority, and global standing of the service.<\/p>\n<p>He said without quality data, planning becomes speculative, policymaking becomes inefficient, and development outcomes become uneven.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cData drives smarter investments. It ensures that public resources are directed where they are needed most,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>He stated that Ghana had made remarkable strides in modernizing its statistical landscape.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe delivered West Africa\u2019s first fully digital Population and Housing Census, processing data three times faster than previous cycles.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have institutionalised the high\u2011frequency surveys that provide real\u2011time insights into welfare, labour market trends and business dynamics,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Dr Alhassan Iddrisu, the Government Statistician, said the theme reaffirmed that \u201cnation becomes<\/p>\n<p>what it measures, what it funds, and what it chooses to understand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen we produce data well, fund it sustainably, and use it consistently, we\u202fstrengthen institutions, protect the vulnerable, and open opportunities for\u202fevery community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Dr Wilfred Ochan, Co- Chair, GSSDP Group, said the forum showed the commitment of GSS to achieve its mandate of producing quality data.<\/p>\n<p>He called for investment in the production of data, saying, \u201cData on its own is not informative unless it is credible, accessible, and put to good use.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n        <div class=\"booster-block booster-reactions-block\">\n            <div class=\"twp-reactions-icons\">\n                \n                <div class=\"twp-reacts-wrap\">\n                    <a react-data=\"be-react-1\" post-id=\"106003\" class=\"be-face-icons un-reacted\" href=\"javascript:void(0)\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/wp-content\/plugins\/booster-extension\/\/assets\/icon\/happy.svg\" alt=\"Happy\">\n                    <\/a>\n                    <div class=\"twp-reaction-title\">\n                        Happy                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"twp-count-percent\">\n                                                    <span style=\"display: none;\" class=\"twp-react-count\">0<\/span>\n                        \n                                                <span class=\"twp-react-percent\"><span>0<\/span> %<\/span>\n                                            <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"twp-reacts-wrap\">\n                    <a react-data=\"be-react-2\" post-id=\"106003\" class=\"be-face-icons un-reacted\" href=\"javascript:void(0)\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/wp-content\/plugins\/booster-extension\/\/assets\/icon\/sad.svg\" alt=\"Sad\">\n                    <\/a>\n                    <div class=\"twp-reaction-title\">\n                        Sad                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"twp-count-percent\">\n                                                    <span style=\"display: none;\" class=\"twp-react-count\">0<\/span>\n                                                                        <span class=\"twp-react-percent\"><span>0<\/span> %<\/span>\n                                            <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"twp-reacts-wrap\">\n                    <a react-data=\"be-react-3\" post-id=\"106003\" class=\"be-face-icons un-reacted\" href=\"javascript:void(0)\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/wp-content\/plugins\/booster-extension\/\/assets\/icon\/excited.svg\" alt=\"Excited\">\n                    <\/a>\n                    <div class=\"twp-reaction-title\">\n                        Excited                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"twp-count-percent\">\n                                                    <span style=\"display: none;\" class=\"twp-react-count\">0<\/span>\n                                                                        <span class=\"twp-react-percent\"><span>0<\/span> %<\/span>\n                                            <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"twp-reacts-wrap\">\n                    <a react-data=\"be-react-6\" post-id=\"106003\" class=\"be-face-icons un-reacted\" href=\"javascript:void(0)\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/wp-content\/plugins\/booster-extension\/\/assets\/icon\/sleepy.svg\" alt=\"Sleepy\">\n                    <\/a>\n                    <div class=\"twp-reaction-title\">\n                        Sleepy                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"twp-count-percent\">\n                                                    <span style=\"display: none;\" class=\"twp-react-count\">0<\/span>\n                        \n                                                <span class=\"twp-react-percent\"><span>0<\/span> %<\/span>\n                                            <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"twp-reacts-wrap\">\n                    <a react-data=\"be-react-4\" post-id=\"106003\" class=\"be-face-icons un-reacted\" href=\"javascript:void(0)\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/wp-content\/plugins\/booster-extension\/\/assets\/icon\/angry.svg\" alt=\"Angry\">\n                    <\/a>\n                    <div class=\"twp-reaction-title\">Angry<\/div>\n                    <div class=\"twp-count-percent\">\n                                                    <span style=\"display: none;\" class=\"twp-react-count\">0<\/span>\n                                                                        <span class=\"twp-react-percent\"><span>0<\/span> %<\/span>\n                        \n                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"twp-reacts-wrap\">\n                    <a react-data=\"be-react-5\" post-id=\"106003\" class=\"be-face-icons un-reacted\" href=\"javascript:void(0)\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/wp-content\/plugins\/booster-extension\/\/assets\/icon\/surprise.svg\" alt=\"Surprise\">\n                    <\/a>\n                    <div class=\"twp-reaction-title\">Surprise<\/div>\n                    <div class=\"twp-count-percent\">\n                                                    <span style=\"display: none;\" class=\"twp-react-count\">0<\/span>\n                                                                        <span class=\"twp-react-percent\"><span>0<\/span> %<\/span>\n                                            <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n\n    ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.myjoyonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PAC-1-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Thomas Nyarko-Ampem (middle), Deputy Minister of Finance, answering questions at the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament. With him are Isaac Fraikue (right), Director, Budget Office, and Jacob Ahadzi (left), Director, Internal Audit, Ministry of Finance. Picture: ELVIS NII NOI DOWUONA\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Investment in data production strengthens governance - Deputy Finance Minister\">Deputy Minister of Finance, Thomas Nyarko Ampem, has underscored the importance of investing in quality data to strengthen good governance.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2401,1910,10,9,7286],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-106003","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-data","category-international","category-politics","category-popular","category-thomas-nyarko-ampem"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106003","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=106003"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106003\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=106003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=106003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=106003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}