Where Is Ghana’s Compass In Development Data Tracking?

Sub-Saharan African countries need US$93 billion annually to cover its infrastructure deficit. If all 926 million individuals in the region make a one-time contribution of US$100 to their governments, the projected expenditure can easily be met in less than 60 seconds. In addition to a viable domestic public financing, the region has multiple streams of finance at its disposal, in the forms of official development finance, private sector investments and official Chinese financing. So, money is not a big problem.

The region’s lag in statistical capacity in the world, made more dire by a continuous decline in existing capacity over the past decade, is a cause for concern. The problem is how progress in bridging infrastructure gaps can be tracked and accurately reported in good time.

As one of the top recipients of external financing between 2009-2012, Ghana has invested considerably in transport infrastructure, which include road, railway, water and air. This investment is in harmony with the country’s medium term policy of being a transportation hub for the West African sub-region. With little investment in the nation’s data management infrastructure, one cannot help but wonder how exactly the country is tracking progress at the district and regional levels.

If African leaders are to succeed in improving the living standards of their peoples, a critical piece of the puzzle has to be the availability and use of information and data. This is President Akufo-Addo speaking at the 2017 Africa Open Data Conference on July 20 this year. Yet the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), a clearing house for development indicators in the country which has a sit in cabinet meetings and advise the President on progress, has consistently lamented the poor state of data infrastructure and management in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs). Meanwhile, development decisions are made based on the data these government institutions provide.

Also, Ghana was not among 12 out of the 54 African countries whose national statistical service were considered functionally autonomous and free from the influence and interference of partisan politics.

It may be that the right to information bill is enduring ‘post-term’ delays because government is scared - not of the weight and pressure that comes with transparency and accountability, but of dealing with citizens anger at the spottiness and paucity of government data.

About Author
Ernest Armah is Director of Research and Content Management at Odekro. He also has interest in social policy research and community development. Email: [email protected]