He said the role of the MDAs, was critical in national development because the Agencies were custodians of administrative data and constituted more than 50 per cent of data required for monitoring the Sustainable Development Goals in the country.

Prof Gyan-Baffour said this in Accra at the celebration of the African Statistics Day and the launch of the SDGs Reporting Platform. The event was on the theme “High-Quality Official Statistics to Ensure Transparency, Good Governance and Inclusive Development”.

He said government attainment of the SDGs, would be underpinned by a robust quality data regime, and collectively supported by all stakeholders and development partners, in a harmonized manner.

The Minister stated that with the increasing demand for more and better quality data, current global, regional and national development frameworks require a step-change in the types, methods, actors and investments in data production and utilization.

“Country-level commitments to the SDGs and the other development frameworks will not be feasible without fast-tracking the data revolution to provide the right information at the right time and made universally accessible to all”, he added.

Prof Gyan-Baffour, who is also the Chair of High Level Ministerial Committee on SDGs said the SDGs created incentives for closing global data gaps and collecting new data to help achieve Africa’s and the world’s transformative agenda.

He said there was a surge in new sources and types of data emerging from the digital and other technological advancements that hold great potential for data utilization to help societies make real and meaningful progress.

He said the pursuit of open data and better communication and presentation of data would ensure uptake of evidence at all levels in decision-making and as well drive accountability. The Professor noted that, the launching of the National SDGs Reporting Platform would disseminate data in open, transparent and reusable formats so that users can track the country’s progress towards the UN global goals and targets.

He explained that the platform would engage citizens and stakeholders to track the country’s progress towards the global SDG and also update stakeholders on the progress made since publishing the SDGs Baseline Report in September 2018.

Mr Baah Wadieh, the Acting Government Statistician said the African Statistics Day is celebrated on November 18 to raise public awareness of the importance of statistics in all aspects of socioeconomics and environmental life.

He said the theme was timely because high-quality data particularly those that focus on governance, peace and security were vital in ensuring transparency, good governance and inclusive development in Africa.

He said the GSS would continue to play its role in advising government and stakeholders on all matters relating to statistical information. “A high-quality statistics contribute to political stability and a stronger voice and accountability, reduce and eradicate violence and improve the quality of regulatory measures and rein the level of corruption”, he added.

Mr David Kombat, the Director of Communication and Dissemination, GSS said good governance was one of the necessary pre-conditions for a prosperous and peaceful Africa and that reliable and credible data help governments to make an informed decision for national development.

He said the emergence of modern technology was critical in the production of quality data, adding that, the GSS would take advantage of technology to improve upon its operations.