The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has launched Ghana’s first Compendium on Environment Statistics (ES), adopting the UN Framework for the development of environment statistics (FDES, 2013).

The FDES is a multipurpose statistical framework that is comprehensive and integrative and defines the scope of environment statistics, and provides an organised structure to guide the collection and compilation of environment statistics at all levels, bringing together data from the various relevant subject areas and sources.

Dr Bernice Serwaah Ofosu-Baadu, Head of Agricultural & Environmental Statistics at GSS, presenting the findings during the launch of the Compendium on Environment Statistics (ES) said, the framework which is broad and holistic, covers the issues and aspects of the environment that are relevant for policy analysis and decision making.

“The compendium is the first to be compiled on Environment Statistics in the country to help policymakers understand the interlinkages within and between environment-related goals and targets; promote policy coherence and integration of the environmental dimensions of the SDGs,” she said.

In addition to providing data for planning, data from the FDES will also help policymakers monitor the progress towards the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the African Union Agenda 2063, the Coordinated Programme of Economic and Social Development Policies 2017-2024, the National Medium-Term Development Policy Framework and other relevant national policy initiatives.

This is expected to make it even more crucial for the availability of relevant data on ES to monitor the state of progress in addressing these issues.

The Compendium reports on some indicators of the 17 SDGs except Goal 10, reducing inequalities in income as well as those inequalities based on sex, age, race, among others, as the indicators under Goal 10 use information which is not currently in the Basic Set of Environment Statistics of the Framework for the Development of Environment Statistics (FDES 2013). Progress in reducing inequalities supports the achievement of environmentally-related SDGs.

The compendium has been prepared by the National Implementation Team (NIT), a collaboration between Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with technical assistance from United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) is based on the Basic Set of Environment Statistics (BSES) contained in the Framework for the Development of Environment Statistics (FDES 2013).

The Compendium will be updated on an annual basis.