The IBES 1, an economic cen­sus, which would begin from Jan­uary 15, 2024 across the country would collect data on all businesses in the country.

About 11,500 enumerators had been recruited and deployed to conduct the one-month exercise to collate data on businesses across the country.

The Government Statistician, Professor Samuel K. Annim disclosed this in Accra yesterday, during a training programme for field officers of the 2024 IBES 1, said the objective of the pro­gramme was to collect economic data to influence government policies and planning.

He said the exercise was being conducted in collaboration with partners such as the World Bank and the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

Professor Annim said the survey would help the GSS to get a better understanding of the economy and businesses in the country.

He said the survey would cover both formal and informal sector businesses and would not only collect data on big businesses but micro and small businesses.

Among others, the survey cov­ering industry, service agriculture, and digital business would elicit basic information on the type of business activity and the number of employees employed.

Professor Annim said the 2021 Population and Housing Census revealed that there were about 8 million structures in the country and the 2024 IBES was project­ed to collate data on 2.4 million businesses.

He said the scope of this year’s survey had been expanded to collate in­formation on digital and night businesses.

Professor Annim said technological solutions and tools had deployed in the IBES 1 and data collection for the exercise would be done through tablets.

He said electronic dashboards had been installed the headquarters of the GSS to ensure real time transfer of information from the field.

Prof. Annim further said 141 data quality monitors and had been deployed to ensure the data gener­ated for the IBES 1 were genuine and of high quality, adding that 80 monitors had been stationed at the headquarters of GSS to monitor the data coming from the field.

The Government Statistician said the first attempt by the coun­try to conduct economic census on businesses was in 1962 and took 26 team for the second attempt to be done in 1987.

The third, he said was in 2003 and the fourth in 2013, adding that measures were being put in place to ensure that the IBES was done every ten years in line with interna­tional standard.

The Board Chairperson of the GSS, Dr Grace Bediako in her remarks said training programmes had been organised for the enu­merators to prepare them for the exercise.

She said the objective of the IBES was to provide coherent data source on businesses across the country.

The Board Chairperson of GSS urged business owners and individ­uals to co-operate with enumera­tors assigned for the IBES 1.