The government has inaugurated a 15-member National Steering Committee for the 2023 Integrated Business Establishment Survey (IBES) to conduct an economic census of all businesses in Ghana.

The Committee will provide strategic guidance and general oversight of IBES and monitor activities to ensure successful implementation.

It will also assist in the mobilization of additional resources for the survey as needed.

The Survey will be the fourth, following surveys of the industry sector in 1987 and 2023 and an economic census in 2013 that included all sectors but excluded businesses within structures.

Professor Samuel Annim, the Government Statistician, speaking at the inauguration, said the objectives of the Survey were to build an updated online business register, update the categorization of businesses, and determine changes in the structure of businesses over time.

On the Survey modules, he said the questionnaire would collect detailed information on the characteristics of all businesses, including contact data for establishments, Head office information, employment data, digital finance, and revenue, among others.

He said the implementation of the Survey included new features to improve the accuracy, quality, and timeliness of the data collection process and the relevance of the statistics generated for decision-making.

That, he stated, would include establishments under sheds, in temperate fixed locations but in structures, businesses in open spaces but in fixed locations, and virtual businesses.

Prof Annim highlighted key areas of policy relevance of business data for Ghana’s development, including data on the characteristics of Ghanaian businesses, business-centered support, understanding business performance and growth, and business data analytics.

Mrs Abena Osei Asare, Deputy Minister of Finance, who inaugurated the committee, said the outcome of the survey would help in comprehensive decision making and planning.

She advised the Committee members to attach seriousness to the exercise and ensure credible and quality data from the field.

The Deputy Minister said the Ministry was ready to assist the Committee in developing successful data for the country’s development agenda.

The Committee comprises institutional representatives from the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ghana Statistical Service, Ghana Revenue Authority, National Identification Authority, and the National Development Planning Commission.

The rest are the Ghana Enterprises Agency, the Association of Ghana Industries, the Ghana Union of Traders Association, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, and the World Bank.