Business survey in Volta Region gets positive response
THE Volta Regional Statistician, Louis Toboh, has said the ongoing fifth Integrated Business Establishment Survey is progressing smoothly in the region, with high prospects for a strong business database.
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The census was launched on January 15, this year, by the Ghana Statistical Services (GSS) to produce an updated statistical business register and generate important data for development.
It is being implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), the World Bank and other stakeholders in the private and public sectors.
In an interview in Ho today (Tuesday, January 23) to update the Daily Graphic on the exercise, Mr Toboh said so far, vital data had been collected from 23,707 business establishments, out of the total 125,401 in the 18 districts and municipalities in the region.
He said the respondents also included non-governmental organisations, educational institutions, churches and shrines.
The regional statistician said the 529 enumerators were undertaking the census which would provide specific updates on the activities, location, ownership, ages and sizes of the industries to inform policy, planning and monitoring of the growth of the businesses and national development programmes.
The exercise, he said, would also collect data on the current structure of Ghana’s economy to facilitate the revision of key macroeconomic indicators, including Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Producer Price Index (PPI) and the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).
“The employment status of workers of the businesses will also be looked into to help bridge the gap between the labour needs and firms and available skills,” Mr Toboh added.
He said the characteristics of the informal sector towards guiding policy developments to formalise the economy and improve the welfare of the workers in the various sectors would be among the activities of the survey.
Enumeration
Mr Toboh said under the nationwide exercise, all business units would be enumerated, irrespective of their sizes, profit or non-profit status, in the cities, towns or villages, at physical locations, online, at markets, shops, offices or within residential facilities or any other location.
In a related development, the Regional Coordinating Director, Augustus Awity, has described the exercise as appropriate for creating the needed database for investors and businesses to readily access information to guide their activities.
“It will also tell the government about the critical business areas which need to be supported in various ways to flourish and create employment,” he added.