The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has out doored the country’s first integrated data repository, the Statistics Bank (StatsBank). The platform is to empower policy makers, professionals and students to ensure that data-driven decision-making become more inclusive and widespread across the country.
The high-level Academia-based launch of the GSS StatsBank and Hackathon, held in collaboration with the Department of Population and Health of University of Cape Coast (UCC), will enable users to tap into disaggregated data from census and surveys of the GSS.
The StatsBank also has over 350 million statistics, including indicators from the 2021 Population and Housing Census and a comprehensive set of macro-economic indicators.
Presenting an overview of the StatsBank, Government Statistician, Prof. Samuel Kobina Annim, there was the need for Ghanaians to think about initiating data sets aimed at solving the complex challenges facing the nation.
“No single data source can help us solve the problems we face. It’s now compelling for all of us to think about bringing together data sets to help solve the complex changes that we have” he noted.
Government Statistician, Prof. Samuel Kobina Annim speaking at StatsBank Launch at UCC
It was against this backdrop that Prof. Annim indicated that the GSS built the StatsBank to integrate different data sets to guide policy decisions, whilst de-emphasizing data aggregates.
He said the Service was of the belief that high sensitivity characterizing disaggregated data had taken proactive measures to protect the privacy and confidentiality of information from people and organisations.
The Government Statistician expressed keen interest in the micro-data dissemination policy and said the GSS would sign an MoU with UCC in the not too distant future.
He underlined the relevance of UCC’s data to complement and validate GSS’s work.
He commended students of UCC for participating in the hackathon competition that was aimed at raising the awareness of students about StatsBank, while creating avenues and opportunities for collaboration, mentorship, and team building in their academic and career fields.
For his part, the Head of the Department of Population and Health, Prof. Kobina Esia-Donkoh, expressed gratitude to management and board of the GSS for the initiative.
He said the StatsBank would help students acquire data readily to promote multi-disciplinary research in the country.
During the launch, Mr. Simon Tichutab Onilimor and Ms. Edem Titsriku, Data Scientists from the Statistical Service, demonstrated to the audience how the StatsBank system could be navigated.
The official launch ceremony also witnessed winners of the UCC 2023 StatsBank Hackathon Competition receive awards. The overall winner, Great Minds, received a cheque for GHS 5,000, the first runner-up team, Badwenba, was awarded GHS 2,000 and Team Robust Research, took the third position with GHS 1,000 cash prize.
Some dignitaries in a group photo with winners of the UCC 2023 StatsBank Hackathon Competition
The launch was chaired by the Provost of the College of Humanities and Legal Studies, Prof. Kwame Osei Kwarteng.
Source: Documentation and Information Section-UCC