National Statistical Advisory Committee inaugurated
The National Statistical Advisory Committee (NSAC) was inaugurated today (Tuesday, December 6, 2022) in Accra.
The statutory committee established per the Statistical Service Act, 2019, (Act 1003), is tasked with strengthening the production of harmonised and quality statistics and facilitating the coordination of statistical activities within the National Statistical System (NSS).
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The 25-member committee, which comprises representatives from key producers and users of statistics, was sworn in by the Head of Civil Service, Nana Agyekum Dwamena and its members will serve a two-year renewable term.
Before the swearing-in, the Government Statistician, Professor Samuel Kobina Annim said the specific objectives for the establishment of the Committee are to establish an effective National Statistical System (NSS); advance the integration of both experimental and official statistics with practice, policy, and research.
He added that the Committee was also tasked with pursuing the attainment of methodological rigour and integrity of data systems, analyses, and interpretation for both the private and public sectors and to harness the resourcefulness of the global data revolution agenda.
Prof. Annim also disclosed that the body had 20 key functions aligned with its objectives and their corresponding targets and indicators, which will be used to assess the Committee's performance toward fulfilling its mandate.
The inauguration was chaired by the Head of the Civil Service, Nana Kwasi Agyekum Dwamena who highlighted the important role that the NSAC needed to play in strengthening the NSS which he asserted needed invigoration.
He said this was based on findings from the 2018 National Statistical Assessment and the 2022 User Satisfaction Survey.
"The assessment also found statistics production by MDAs, Regional Coordinating Councils (RCCs) and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to be generally weak and uncoordinated making it difficult for the national statistical system to cope with emerging internal and external demands," Nana Dwamena said.
"Just about one-third (34.6%) of institutions are of the view that policymakers use official statistics for evidence-based decision-making."
He concluded by urging NSAC members "to bring your unique and varied expertise to bear and help to firmly put in place the requisite systems and structures to strengthen the statistical ecosystem."
Following the inauguration, the NSAC selected the Executive Director of the Ghana Data Protection Commission, Patricia Adusei-Poku as its Chairperson.
The Committee also held its maiden meeting to deliberate on its organisation, including the formation of the 12 Statistics Sector Working Groups (SSWGs), which would operationalise its activities, and other matters.
Some members of the Committee include the Deputy Chairman of the Electoral Commission, Dr Eric Bossman Asare; a representative from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, James Ayittey; a representative from the Ministry of Finance, Kwasi Adu; and a representative of the Ghana Revenue Authority, Charles Addae.
