A two-day trainer-of-trainers workshop is underway in Accra as part of efforts to enhance the knowledge and research expertise of Regional Information Officers (RIOs) of the Information Services Department (ISD) to produce scientifically-based and accurate reports for decision-making.

Additionally, 260 Android tablets were given to District Information Officers (DIOs) to facilitate their work and improve speedy reportage. The training workshop comes on the back of the recently commissioned newly refurbished Research Centre of the ISD in Accra, to ensure speedy reporting of data to the headquarters.

Addressing the participants at the opening ceremony, on Wednesday, Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah entreated the Regional Information Officers (RIOs) to take keen interest in the work of the District Information Officers (DIOs) to ensure quality and accurate gathering, processing and provision of data.
"You should take keen interest in the quality of work done by the DIOs so that the data is sacrosanct and could be relied on for decision-making.
"You must do a decent job in order to get good results and accurate reports, "the Minister emphasised.

Mr Oppong Nkrumah was of the conviction that, if the ISD adopted innovative and scientific ways to gather accurate data, it would serve as an avenue for private sector organizations and civil society organisations to leverage on its research expertise for a fee.

That, he believed, would improve the Internally-generated funds of the Department to enhance its work.
Some of the topics that would be treated during workshop include; Essence of data and need for quality data, ethical issues in research, design of questionnaires and interview guides, data collection and qualitative data as well as sampling techniques/map reading.

Mr Charles Wereko, the Director of the ISD, in his welcome remarks, stated that equipping the field staff of the ISD with the requisite skills to effectively use new research methods would enhance the quality of the surveys.
"The adoption of these new research technologies represents a key component of the Department's drive to harness new technologies to enhance the gathering and dissemination of feedback and information on government business," Mr Wereko added.

The ISD Director lauded the Information Minister for his tireless efforts in securing funding to refurbish the ISD Research Unit.
He noted that due to the digitisation agenda being pursued by the government, 90 per cent of all files at the ISD head office was scanned and stored electronically for easy retrieval.

Also, a social media team was constituted to develop content to feed the Department's media platforms in support of its public education campaigns and training of all officers to drive the broad national digitisation agenda of the government.

Some of the resource persons taking the participants through various topics include; Dr Theophilus Abutima, Researcher, Centre for Migration Studies, University of Ghana, Mr Amuzu Fury, Director, Social Demographics and Statistics, Ghana Statistical Service, Mr Bismark B. Nkansah, an Information Technology Consultant and Mr Joseph Darko, Operations Manager, Measurement Learning and Evaluation Unit, ISSER, University of Ghana.