Accra, July 7 — Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Ampem Nyarko has thrown a strong challenge to the newly inaugurated board of the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), urging them to build and maintain an accurate and reliable data system critical to national development.
Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony of the new seven-member board in Accra, Mr. Ampem Nyarko emphasized that reliable data must be the foundation of Ghana’s development strategy, particularly in a period where economic resources are stretched.
“When resources are limited, good data becomes not just important—it becomes indispensable,” the Deputy Minister stated. “I urge the new board to provide leadership that ensures the generation of accurate, relevant, and timely statistics to guide decision-making at every level of governance.”
He reaffirmed the government’s full backing of the GSS, assuring the board of support in fulfilling its constitutional mandate to provide credible statistics for planning, policy formulation, and national development.
The new board is chaired by Dr. Anthony Yaw Baah, former Secretary General of the Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC), a seasoned labour leader with decades of experience in policy advocacy and institutional governance.
Other members of the board include Government Statistician Dr. Alhassan Iddrisu, Mrs. Nelly Mireku (Director of Research at the Ministry of Finance), Dr. Zakaria Mumuni, Professor Mariama Awumbila, Dr. Philomena Nyarko, and Dr. Paul Kwame Butakor—bringing together a diverse mix of expertise in economics, research, academia, and statistics.
In his remarks, Dr. Baah expressed gratitude to President John Dramani Mahama and Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson for the trust placed in the new board. He pledged that under his leadership, the GSS would rise to the occasion in strengthening Ghana’s statistical infrastructure.
“Our mandate is clear—we are here to ensure the data that powers Ghana’s development is beyond question. We take this responsibility seriously,” he said.
As Ghana strives to make evidence-based policymaking the norm rather than the exception, the tone set at Monday’s swearing-in signals a renewed national commitment to data integrity and institutional accountability.
Source:Mybrytfmonline.com/Gumedzo Isaac Acheampong
