The Ghana Statistical Service will begin producing quarterly employment data as part of a comprehensive modernization of its national statistics system, newly sworn-in Government Statistician Dr. Alhassan Iddrisu announced.
The initiative aims to provide policymakers with more frequent labor market insights to better track job creation initiatives and youth unemployment trends.
Speaking after his swearing-in ceremony on Friday, Dr. Iddrisu outlined ambitious reforms for the statistical service, including rebasing Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product every five years instead of the current ten-year cycle. The changes will also introduce regional GDP measurements and monthly economic indicators to complement existing data collection.
“We will build a modern, technology-driven statistical service that serves as the bedrock for policy decisions,” Dr. Iddrisu said. The plans include producing rural-urban inflation breakdowns and extending consumer price reporting to district levels to support Ghana’s decentralization agenda.
The quarterly jobs data will help monitor government programs like the National Apprenticeship Programme and 24-Hour Economy Policy. Economists note the reforms address longstanding gaps in Ghana’s statistical infrastructure, though implementation will require sustained investment in technical capacity.
Ghana’s statistical overhaul comes as African nations increasingly prioritize data quality for economic planning. The success of these measures may influence how other developing economies balance fiscal constraints with the need for robust statistical systems. Previous attempts to improve data frequency in Ghana have faced funding and logistical challenges, making this latest push particularly significant for evidence-based policymaking.
The Ghana Statistical Service Act of 2019 provides the legal framework for these reforms, which align with President Mahama’s emphasis on data-driven governance. As youth unemployment remains a pressing concern, the new quarterly metrics could prove instrumental in evaluating whether employment initiatives deliver tangible results.
