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President John Dramani Mahama has emphasized the need for the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) to maintain the highest standards of accuracy, objectivity, and transparency in the dissemination of national data.
Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony of Dr. Alhassan Iddrisu as the new Government Statistician at the Jubilee House on Friday, May 2, the President stressed that credible statistics are vital for national development and public trust.
“Statistical integrity is not a luxury. It’s a necessity,” President Mahama stated. “Citizens must believe that the numbers published by the service are objective and factual and are free from political interference.”
He noted that reliable data strengthens confidence among investors and development partners, as it ensures that Ghana’s progress can be measured, verified, and trusted. “Investors must be assured that Ghana’s macroeconomic data is credible. Development partners must know that our results framework are measurable and verifiable,” he added.
Mahama encouraged Dr. Iddrisu to uphold impartiality in his new role and to resist any attempts to influence the work of the GSS. He urged him to act boldly, even when findings may be uncomfortable for those in power.
“I urge the new statistician to lead with courage and impartiality, to speak truth to power even when the data is uncomfortable. Work closely with stakeholders, ministries, academia, civil society organizations, and the private sector to strengthen the culture of data use across government.”
He further explained that his administration is committed to building a transparent and accountable governance model, noting the essential role data plays in shaping policies and evaluating progress. “From health, education, and agriculture to urban planning, we need timely and disaggregated data to guide implementation, to measure results and correct our course when necessary,” he said.
In his response, Dr. Alhassan Iddrisu pledged to modernize the operations of the GSS through technology-driven solutions aimed at improving efficiency and responsiveness.
“We are committed to delivering credible, timely, and relevant data to support our macroeconomic stabilization programme and our socioeconomic development agenda,” he said. He highlighted ongoing flagship policies such as the 24-hour economic policy, the agriculture for transformation agenda, Adwumawura programme, national apprenticeship programme, national coders programme, and the anti-corruption drive as key areas where data would be essential.
Dr. Iddrisu also announced plans to enhance data reporting, including faster release of GDP figures and regional GDP estimates to support localized development.
“Currently, inflation ends at the regional level. This will support the decentralisation agenda of the government and will inform inflation policy at the district level,” he noted. “On prices, we’ll produce a CPI and inflation data on rural-urban basis to get a better appreciation of inflation from the rural-urban perspective.”
He concluded by pledging to rebase GDP data more frequently to keep pace with global standards. “We will call for institutionalisation of rebasing of our GDP every five years to make our GDP data more relevant and to meet global standards,” Dr. Iddrisu affirmed.
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