Ghana looks to data innovation to power inclusive growth at inaugural data forum

The occasion was the 2025 Annual Data Forum for Data Producers, Users and Enhancers, an inaugural event held under the theme “Financing Innovations in Data and Statistics for Sustainable and Inclusive Development.”

At the heart of the gathering is a growing recognition that data is no longer a technical afterthought but a strategic asset that can inform national development planning and implementation for desired results and impact. From health and education to climate action and economic planning, reliable data increasingly determines how effectively governments respond to the needs of their people.

The forum is driven by the Ghana Statistical Service Development Partner Group (GSSDPG), a coordination platform created to strengthen support for the Ghana Statistical Service. The group brings together development partners to align financing, policy support and innovation around the country’s evolving data priorities, particularly the need for more timely, accessible and credible statistics.

This year’s forum also coincided with the commemoration of African Statistics Day 2025, observed continent-wide under the theme “Leveraging innovations in data and statistics to promote a just, peaceful, inclusive and prosperous society for Africans.”

Speaking at the inaugural event held in Accra, the Deputy Minister for Finance, Hon. Thomas Nyarko Ampem,  said this period is characterised by rapid global shifts, economic uncertainties, climate vulnerabilities, demographic transitions, technological disruptions and increasing demand for accountability. “In such an environment, credible data is not optional, it is indispensable. It is the foundation on which resilient nations are built, and we know that data exposes inequalities that would otherwise remain concealed,” he noted.

Hon. Nyarko Ampem highlighted Ghana’s strides in modernising its data and statistical landscape, including delivering West Africa’s first fully digital population and housing census, which processed data three times faster than previous cycles. However, he also noted that Ghana’s data systems remain heavily dependent on donor financing. “These inefficiencies undermine the sustainability, reliability and strategic potential of our national data system,” he said.

For his part, Ghana’s Government Statistician, Mr. Alhassan Iddrisu, emphasised that evidence must shape Ghana’s future. Financing data, he said, is not a cost but an investment in economic stability, social inclusion and better outcomes for every household and community. To finance data effectively, he called for predictable budgets across Ministries, Departments and Other Agencies (MDAs) and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), financing models that blend public, private and development resources, and support for experimentation with AI, geospatial systems and real-time analytics. He further stressed the need for strong governance, clear mandates and value-for-money metrics that ensure every cedi invested results in better data quality, coverage and use.

The Country Representative of UNFPA Ghana and Co-Chair of the GSSDPG, Dr. Wilfred Ochan, explained that there was a need to bring together all those who produce data, those who process, analyse and disseminate it, and those who use, and those who enhance each of these processes to engage directly. He further indicated that this conference would enhance coordination within the UN System’s Data Group as well as enable the Group to interface with the broader development partnership system and government in enhancing data production, management and use. 

“It is important for the UN to be in this space, understand the needs of the different interest groups, and map our support in alignment with national priorities”, He noted. UN agencies represented at the conference included WHO, UNFPA, FAO, IOM, WFP and UNDP; all members of the GSSDPG.

Discussions at the forum focused on one central challenge: how to sustainably finance data systems in an era of rising demand and limited public resources.