Data, not guesswork should drive Africa’s dev’t – Government Statistician

Dr. Alhassan Iddrisu, the Government Statistician, has called on African authorities to put data at the centre of development, warning that the continent cannot achieve justice, peace, inclusion, or prosperity without a firm foundation of evidence.

Speaking at the 2025 African Statistics Day celebration in Accra, and the launch of the Governance Series Wave Two Report, Dr. Iddrisu said Africa’s progress hinged on “real data, not guesses or assumptions.”

The event, on the theme: “Leveraging Innovations in Data and Statistics to Promote a Just, Peaceful, Inclusive and Prosperous Society for Africans,” forms part of efforts to raise public awareness of the critical role of statistics in shaping social and economic development across the continent.

“Today’s theme asks us to think deeply about the kind of society we want to build: one that is just, peaceful, inclusive, and prosperous. And the truth is that none of that happens without good data. Not guesses, not assumptions, but real evidence that tells us how people live, what they face, and where our systems fall short,” Dr. Iddrisu stated.

The Government Statistician noted that the continent’s development agenda, championed by the African Union (AU) could only be achieved when institutions were accountable, governance was transparent and policy debates anchored in evidence.

Also, marginalised groups must be intentionally included in all development efforts, with data innovation becoming a political priority, he said, adding that, “If we want peace, justice, inclusion and prosperity, we must treat statistics as the language of development.”

The Government Statistician urged government ministries, civil society, academia, development partners and the media not to let the findings gather dust, saying, “partnership only matters if the evidence is used.”

Dr. Iddrisu also encouraged stakeholders to make good use of data, using it as a principal guide to shape reforms, inform advocacy and guide policy, noting that doing so would enable African governments build systems that citizens would trust.

Speaking about Ghana’s Data Contribution to Africa, he said the launch of the Wave Two Governance Survey was the country’s contribution to the continent’s vision of prosperity for all.

“Reliable data gives us the confidence to act, the courage to reform, and the clarity to hold institutions accountable… Let us commit to using this innovation to transform lives, not just processes, to build trust, not just systems, and to secure a better future for all Africans,” he said.

He stated that the Wave Two Governance Survey, conducted using modern digital tools such as the 2021 census frame and Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing, marks a turning point in how African national statistical systems operate.

The survey, which captured citizens’ experiences on corruption, inequality, exclusion, and public service responsiveness – core indicators of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16, disclosed uneven progress in Ghana.

Particularly, it showed that bribery prevalence in Ghana dropped from 18.4 per cent to 14.3 per cent, but high-frequency bribery cases surged from 6.9 per cent to 24 per cent, while voluntary “appreciation gifts” almost doubled.

Dr. Iddrisu stated that citizens feeling included in governance rose from 54.8 to 68.4 per cent, youth exclusion dropped from 56.1 to 36.3 per cent, with the Northern regions still reporting the highest levels of exclusion.

Source: GNA