Ghana must urgently adopt innovative and sustainable financing mechanisms to strengthen its national data ecosystem and support inclusive development, Deputy Minister for Finance, Thomas Nyarko Ampem has said.
Delivering the keynote address at the 2025 Annual Forum for Data Producers, Users and Enhancers, the Deputy Minister stressed that a resilient statistical system is indispensable for effective governance, economic transformation and social progress.
He warned that in an era marked by global economic volatility, climate pressures, demographic shifts and growing public demand for accountability, countries without credible data systems risk poor planning, inefficient resource allocation and widening inequalities.
“In such an environment, credible data is not optional. It is indispensable. It is the foundation on which resilient nations are built,” he said.
Mr. Nyarko Ampem emphasised that high-quality data exposes disparities, improves transparency and strengthens governance. Citing World Bank research, he noted that each dollar invested in data yields up to $32 in economic returns through better policy targeting, improved public-sector efficiency and enhanced investor confidence.
The Deputy Minister acknowledged Ghana’s significant strides in modernising its statistical system. These include West Africa’s first fully digital Population and Housing Census, the institutionalisation of high-frequency surveys, expanded enterprise and agricultural data, and the integration of geospatial and data-science methodologies. Digital dissemination tools such as StatsBank and the Ghana Stats App have also improved public access to official statistics.
But despite these achievements, he said Ghana’s statistical ecosystem still faces structural weaknesses, particularly heavy dependence on donor financing, fragmentation of administrative databases across ministries and agencies, and limited interoperability.
To address these bottlenecks, he pointed to the forthcoming National Strategy for the Development of Statistics III (2026–2030) and the Power of Data Initiative, which together will provide a coordinated framework for long-term investment, innovation and capacity development across the entire national statistical system.
He reaffirmed government’s commitment to shifting from donor-reliant financing arrangements toward national ownership and sustainable investment. He revealed that the 2026 Budget allocates GH¢207 million to priority statistical operations, including rebasing GDP and CPI, completing major national surveys and strengthening economic and price measurement systems.
Mr. Ampem Nyarko called on development partners to maintain their support but under stronger coordination and closer alignment with Ghana’s national priorities. To data producers, he urged continuous innovation and inter-institutional collaboration. To data users including policymakers, researchers and journalists, he issued a challenge to “demand more data, use more data, and champion transparency and accountability.”
He also encouraged the private sector to seize emerging opportunities in the data economy, highlighting areas such as fintech, precision agriculture, satellite analytics and credit-scoring technologies.
Finally, he reminded citizens that data has a direct impact on their daily lives. “It shapes the schools your children attend, the hospitals you access, the jobs created in your communities, and the taxes collected,” he said, urging the public to support efforts to build a data-responsive society.