The objective of the survey, among others, is to inform policy decisions for growth and development.

The Government Statistician, Prof. Samuel Annim, said this at the 62nd Annual General Meeting of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) in Accra last Friday.

Working

"I earlier indicated that next year we would be working closely with all of you to do the Integrated Business Establishment Survey.

"It is the only source of data that will enable us to say that we have X number of large firms, X number of medium firms and X number of small and micro firms," he said.
Prof. Annim told the AGI members that although it was going to be burdensome in taking data from them, he urged the captains of industry to have a collaborative engagement with the GSS.

Data

He said there was a lot of data analysis that "we can do between public and private institutions to ensure that we use data to enhance the profitability of businesses in the country".

The Government Statistician said there was census data from the Population and Housing Census point of view and there was also going to be the Integrated and Business Establishment Survey from the business side.

Prof. Annim congratulated the AGI on its 62 years of existence and what it has been able to achieve.

The Chief Director of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Patrick Nimo, lauded the association for its contributions to the country's economic development in terms of shaping policies and also for the hard work in doing business.

Appreciation

"We really appreciate that," he said, and commended the association for its resilience and continued collaboration with the government.

The President of the AGI, Dr Humphrey Kwesi Ayim Darke, said the association had been deeply concerned about the challenges facing the Ghanaian economy and empathised with its members in such difficult times.

Leaders

"As leaders of this association, we have not rested on our oars; we have engaged policy makers at all levels, including the President of Ghana, Ministers of Finance, Agriculture and Trade and Industry, Parliament and others, on measures to bring stability and rejuvenate the economy," he said, adding that "in all these discussions, what has become clear is the need to enhance local production as import substitution and reduce excessive importation which brings pressure on our cedi".

Dr Darke said the AGI believed that only an industry-led structural transformation with mutual support from the government would help maintain macro-economic stability and also create the sustainable jobs the country needed.

The Chief Executive Officer of the AGI, Seth Twum-Akwaboah, said under the current economic challenges, the association had the daunting task of convincing and assuring members that all would be well.

He appreciated the resilience of the Ghanaian entrepreneur and expressed the hope that things would normalise soon, leading to growth in businesses and that industry would take the centre stage of the country's development.