TRACKING PROGRESS AND CHALLENGES IN IMPLEMENTING GHANA STATISTICAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN

1. TRACKING PROGRESS AND CHALLENGES IN IMPLEMENTING GHANA STATISTICAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN Review of the Implementation of the Reference Regional Strategy Framework for Statistical Capacity Building in Africa Kigali, Rwanda 18 – 21 October 2011 Opoku Manu Asare Deputy Government Statistician Wednesday 19 October 2011

2. Outline • Why Statistics are Crucial • The Ghana Statistics Development Plan (2009-2013) • Challenges and gaps of the NSS • Institutional Arrangements • Resource mobilization • Statistics and the Media • Progress being made • Challenges in implementing the GSDP • Way forward

3. Preamble “Statistical thinking will one day be as necessary a qualification for efficient citizenship as the ability to read and write”. H.G. Wells

4. Why Statistics are Crucial Public sector: • Good governance and rule of law: Accountability, policy-making, planning, • Enhance welfare-poverty reduction • Government to report back to the people on its progress Private Sector: • Individuals and corporate entities make everyday choices and decide on specific investment portfolios on the basis of information. Local and International NGOs • Determine financial and technical assistance • Report, monitor their own projects and programmes

5. The Ghana Statistics Development Plan (2009-2013) • Pragmatic and strategic approach required across the whole National Statistical System (NSS) to address gaps and deficiencies in the production of statistics and indicators • To address these issues requires for a strategy that would identify the gaps and challenges and come out with strategies to address these inherent challenges with the overall goal of producing and disseminating reliable and consistent set of statistical data and indicators Thus the statistics development plan

6. Challenges and gaps of the NSS • Low image and lack of statistical literacy • Weak resource mobilization and advocacy • Weak statistical capacity and training • Weak statistical and physical infrastructure to support NSS • Incoherent legal framework • Uncoordinated NSS • Unattractive wage and salary system • Statistics is treated as an orphan thematic policy area

7. Institutional Arrangements • Committee of Chief Directors - Administrative heads of Ministries. • Steering Committee – Membership - MDAs, Training Institutions, Research Institutions, Development Partners (DPs). • Inter-agency working Group – Technical working group. Statistics div. MDAs. • M&E sub-committee on • Programme Development and Management Group – Responsible for coordinating the GSDP implementation.

8. Institutional Arrangements GSS Groups • Programme Development & Management • Economic & Industrial Statistics • Social & Demographic • Data Management & Analysis • Survey Organisation and Data Group • Statistical Coordination and Capacity Building • Public Information and Communication • Finance & Administration • Census Coordinating Team • MDAs/Other stakeholders • GSS Board

9. Resource Mobilization Total GSDP budget……..USD 152,000,000 Funds received…………. USD 59,161,000 Funding gap……………………. USD 92,839,000 • Multi Donor Trust Fund…………USD 7,000,000 • DANIDA ………………………....USD 661,000 • UN System………………………USD 1,500,000 • Government, Census ………….USD 50, 000,000 Total………………………..........USD 59,161,000 Pledged ………………………………………………….USD 40 million • IDA Credit………………………………………….…USD 30 million • Statistics For Results Facility Catalytic Fund …..USD 10 million • CIDA ………………………………………………..….USD 1million

10. Statistics and the Media • It is said that statistics that are not used are of no use to anyone. • This implies dissemination of official statistics to a range of audiences, engaging them in the whole process. • This can bring government closer to the people in a way that is mutually beneficial • The Ghana Statistical Service has identified the media as the key partner in the production and dissemination of statistics in the country • Working actively with the media

11. Progress being made • Developing the Plan of the GSDP completed. • Re-organisation of Divisions/Sections/Regions. • Developed a detailed budget with prioritized activities for implementation under the MDTF • Finalizing Project Implementation Manual (PIM) for the MDTF • Administrative /Institutional arrangements • Framework for results monitoring • Detailed cost of activities and budget lines covering the MDTF • Procurement Plan for goods and services under the MDTF • Project Implementation Schedule • Developing of a new budget to cover available credit

12. Progress being made • M&E sub-committee on statistics set up • Some programmes being implemented under the GSDP : • Sensitization and education on GSDP. • Statistical Literacy/Data Bases (GhanaInfo/IMIS). • Set up of Local Area Network (LAN) in Regional Offices. • Develop Corporate E-mail system • Census activities on-going. • Staff Training.

13. Progress being made (Cont) • 2010 Population and Housing Census • Field data collection completed • Data processing on-going • Surveys • MICS (Field work on-going) • GLSS, IBS, Labour Force survey • User Satisfaction Survey • Re-organization of GSS • Review of legal framework on-going • Staff orientation on-going • Foundational training on-going • Recruitment of Experts and Consultants to assist in the implementation

14. Challenges in implementing the GSDP • Weak understanding on how vision, mission, core values/code of ethics relates to each other and their role statistical production process • Weak collaboration and networking internally and with Africa NSOs and research institutions • Funding: financial and technical • Training and capacity building (Changing institutional culture) • Reviewing the existing legal framework • New organizational culture and change • Reporting and monitoring • Creating sustainable statistical literacy

15. Challenges in implementing the GSDP (Cont) • Data Suppliers are increasingly becoming fatigue • Data suppliers complains that they do not benefit from the data being collected • Lack of professional data collectors and analysts • No coherent policy on documentation and archiving especially with statistical departments of the MDAs • Weak Co-ordination, collaboration and networking • Weak statistical and physical infrastructure

16. Way Forward • Increase dissemination and sustain statistical literacy and education • Strengthen statistical advocacy and resource mobilization. • Legal framework to cater for funding of research and statistical activities. The object of the Fund is to provide funding for the Service, projects and programmes related to statistics • Set a proportion of the total tax revenue or loans contracted on statistics and research (2-10%). Part on the new law • Coherent statistical legal framework should be strengthen and made robust to accommodate the emerging statistical and research issues

17. Way Forward (cont) • Mainstream statistics into national development • Invest in training and institutional capacity development of NSOs and other statistical agencies and research institutions • Strength coordination and collaboration in statistics, both at the local and International (Africa) levels • Improve the working conditions of NSOs • Legislate on census and other critical statistical activities as the case of elections (Example,10 years

18. Hypothesis Where a nation lacks effective and efficient national statistical system to generate comprehensive, relevant, reliable and timely statistical data and indicators, no critical thinking takes place, leading to unsustainable development.

19. Thank You