The newly appointed Government Statistician, Dr. Alhassan Iddrisu, has reaffirmed his commitment to delivering accurate and timely data as a cornerstone of Ghana’s development strategy.
Speaking on the sidelines of the 2025 IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington, Dr. Iddrisu said that strengthening the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) would be central to his mandate, stressing that reliable data is crucial for effective economic planning and resilience in the face of global shocks.
“Strengthening Ghana’s statistical systems is not a luxury anymore. It is a strategic imperative,” he stated. “It enhances our ability to anticipate, respond to, and recover from shocks while fostering inclusive and sustainable development to improve livelihoods.”
Dr. Iddrisu, who took part in a meeting of the G-24 deputies, highlighted the wide-ranging impact of global disruptions — from climate change and pandemics to trade tensions and geopolitical instability — and emphasized the need for data-driven solutions.
“At the meeting, we reflected on the compounded impact of global shocks ranging from globalization, trade tensions, protectionism, deteriorating security environments, advancing technologies, climate change, and pandemics to geopolitical instability,” he noted. “In this context, statistical development emerges as a cornerstone of effective response as we navigate an era of policy crisis.”
He also pointed out the growing relevance of credible and disaggregated data in crafting evidence-based policies, managing the macroeconomy, and gaining access to global finance.
“For Ghana, the role of high-quality, credible, timely, and disaggregated data in informing evidence-based policy, in supporting macroeconomic management, in strengthening sectoral resilience, and in enabling access to global finance, has become more relevant today than ever before,” Dr. Iddrisu added.
His remarks signal a renewed focus on data integrity and modernization at the GSS, with the goal of positioning Ghana’s statistical system to better inform decision-making at all levels of government and beyond.
