Ghana Statistical Service Hits Back

The Ghana statistical service has told its critics to fight for the improvement of the service instead of the constant criticisms against it.

The service has been criticised for producing inaccurate statistics, the latest by the executive director of the Centre for Policy Analysis, Dr Joe Abbey.

The official source of the nation’s statistics has been at the receiving end of several uncharitable comments in recent times. At various forums speakers have disputed figures produced by the service, from the population censors figure and the per capita income to the consumer price indices used in calculating the rate of inflation.

These criticisms and the latest by Dr Abbey quoting from an IMF report rubbed the service on the wrong side. In a statement, the Acting Government Statistician Dr Twum Bah conceded that the service had some computer-programming problems when the service changed some aspects of calculating the consumer price index in 1999. But he added that the problem had long been resolved. He said the actual problem of the service is inadequate logistics to do its work effectively. He said the service has lost well-trained personnel to other bodies due to poor remuneration.

According to the government statistician, these are the issues that people who are concerned about the fortunes of the service should be fighting for and not uncomplimentary comments that appear to tear down the service.

Dr Twum however added that with the current national accounts and price statistics improvement project being implemented in collaboration with the IMF, the service would improve on its work. Perhaps the public advertisement for a substantive government statistician and a definite statement by the minister of state for finance and economic planning Dr Nii Ashong at a recent forum that the service will be reformed in the next two months will begin the new phase of a better resourced and totally reliable Ghana statistical service.