The President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, has entreated the newly sworn-in Government Statistician, Dr Alhassan Iddrisu, to avoid data manipulation to inform proper planning by government.
He noted that accurate data was sine qua non to citizen consciousness, decision making, national development, and engenders confidence in the economy and must be free from any manipulation or interference.
“Statistical integrity is not a luxury. It is a necessity. Citizens must believe that the numbers published by the service are objective and factual and are free from political interference.
“Investors must be assured that Ghana’s macroeconomic data is credible. Development partners must know that our results framework are measurable and verifiable. I urge the new statistician to lead with courage and impartiality, to speak truth to power even when the data is uncomfortable,” he charged.
President Mahama made this demand of Dr Iddrisu in Accra on Friday when he swore him into office as the new government statistician.
President Mahama said he was building a governance model anchored in transparency, performance, and accountability and would need accurate and
disaggregated data to guide implementation, to measure results and correct course when necessary across all sectors of the economy.
Urging Dr Iddrisu to be independent, bold, innovative and fearlessly professional, President Mahama said the Statistical Service was a strategic partner in development planning, economic management and democratic accountability and would be allowed to work freely without any political interference.
On his part, Dr Iddrisu said the Service under his leadership would uphold national interest and global best practices and deliver credible, timely and relevant data to support government’s socio-economic development agenda including the 24-hour economy policy, agriculture transformation agenda and other job creation initiatives.
He outlined that the Service under his watch would fast track the rebasing of the CPI to facilitate collection of reliable data, and institutionalise the rebasing of same to three years from the traditional seven years.
Dr Iddrisu also indicated that the service would fast-track the rebasing of GDP data every five years, from the current 10 years to make it more reliable and relevant to global standards, and regularise production of quarterly employment data.
President Mahama, meanwhile, also swore into office Matilda Asante-Asiedu as the Second Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, tasking her to bring to bear her experience to aid the economic recovery agenda.
According to the President, Ghana’s economic recovery was well underway as a result of the new leadership at the central bank.
“I am pleased to note that under the leadership of Governor Dr Johnson Asiama and the bank’s senior management, the recovery process has begun in earnest. Inflation, while still high, is moderating. The Ghana Cedi has appreciated by 3.16 per cent on the interbank market and by nearly five per cent at the foreign bureau market.
“These gains are not accidental; they are the result of careful monetary tightening, which improves foreign exchange liquidity and a better synchronisation of fiscal and monetary policy frameworks,” the President noted.
He also swore into office a 12-member Governing Board of the National Centre for the Coordination of Early Warning Systems.
Chaired by the Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, other members are the ministers for the Interior, Defence, Foreign Affairs, Finance, Health, Environment, Science and Technology, Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations, Transport, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, and the Director of the Centre, Colonel Emmanuel Sampson.
The centre, as established by Act 2021 (Act 1070), is responsible for timely identification of emerging crisis in Ghana and the West Africa sub-region, and the implementation of an improved crisis response mechanism.
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI
