He indicated that availability of accurate and reliable data was critical to decision making.

He was speaking at a day’s workshop held in Kumasi by the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD)-Ghana as part of the continued engagement towards the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

 The programme, organized with support from the William and Flora Heweit Foundation brought together officials from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and the MMDAs from across the Ashanti and Brong-Ahafo Regions.

It provided the platform to share ideas on how to deepen the coordination when it came to data collection, production and usage. “Access to data to inform evidence-based policy making and SDG advocacy in Ghana” was the theme chosen for the workshop.

Mr. Donkor urged all stakeholders to accept to pull together to enable the nation to achieve the SDGs.  The Ashanti Regional Head of the GSS, Mr. Kobina Abaka Ansah, said sharing data was crucial but this must be credible.

He spoke of the situation where most actors produced data, which did not meet the required standards - creating gaps unhelpful the nation’s effort to meet its SDGs target.  The GSS, he stated, was determined to ensure that accepted standards were met, as it affected decision making.   Mr. Mohammed Awal, Research Officer of CDD-Ghana, said the event was part of series of regional engagement workshop with actors working on the SDGs through the CSOs) platform.

He added that “the focus is on data to discuss various data challenges on what the CSOs are generating and how to be useful to monitor SDGs”.