The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) is pushing for a new Statistics Bill to strengthen its institutional independence and modernise the country’s official data production system, following a government commitment to provide sustainable funding for its operations.
Government Statistician, Dr. Alhassan Iddrisu, said the proposed legislation would improve coordination across the national statistical system and provide a stronger legal framework for the production of reliable statistics.
He disclosed this while speaking to the media after the launch of Ghana in Numbers 2025 in Accra.
Dr. Iddrisu said the Ministry of Finance had expressed readiness to support the proposed legislation, which is expected to replace or update the existing legal framework to accommodate emerging developments in statistical production.
He identified artificial intelligence and geospatial technology as some of the emerging tools that require the country’s statistical laws and institutional arrangements to be updated.
According to him, the reforms would enable the GSS to produce data more efficiently and provide timely information to support national planning and policy decisions.
On funding, Dr. Iddrisu said government had also committed to financing the Service’s core statistical activities, reducing its longstanding dependence on development partners.
He explained that the financial support would cover essential operations, including censuses, surveys and administrative data collection.
“Funding statistics largely with donor resources is going to be a thing of the past,” he stated.
He said government had recognised the critical role of reliable data in national development and was prepared to assume greater responsibility for financing the country’s statistical system.
“Because data is so relevant to our national development, the government has seen it fit to ensure that going forward, they’ll provide funding to support our core activities, including our censuses, our surveys, our administrative data collection,” he said.
Dr. Iddrisu described the funding commitment and proposed legislative reforms as important steps towards building a sustainable and effective national statistical system.
He said the measures would strengthen the capacity of the GSS to generate credible, timely and relevant data to guide government policies, investment decisions and national development planning.
