The Western Regional Office of the Ghana Statistical Service is set to deploy over 1,200 enumerators for an extensive data collection exercise aimed at informing economic policy decision-making across the region.
The exercise, scheduled to commence on January 15, will cover businesses of all sizes, including small, medium, and large-scale enterprises, as well as the services sector.
This initiative is part of the Integrated Business Establishment Survey One (IBES-1), designed to verify the eight million business structures identified in the 2021 census.
The survey will provide updated statistics on business location, ownership, sizes, and revision of key macroeconomic indicators, including Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Mr. Samuel Adotevi, the Western Regional Statistician, emphasized that the survey's goal is not to target businesses for tax or revenue obligations but to aid in planning and facilitating business growth.
He stated, “We are only helping the Government to know active businesses, those needing support, and ultimately how the government can support the growth of public and private sector businesses for the holistic development of the country.”
Enumerators are currently undergoing a three-day training to ensure the effectiveness of the exercise. Mr. Jibril Fuseini, a Senior Statistician from the Monitoring Team in the Greater Accra Region, expressed satisfaction with the enumerators' conduct during training, hoping for the same dedication during the fieldwork.
He urged the public to provide accurate information to support policy planning and regional development.
Dr. Joseph Asafo, the Western Regional Trainer, outlined that the training covers various aspects, including assignment creation, assigning enumeration zones, questioning techniques, and questionnaire filing.
The data collected will guide the development of policies aimed at formalizing the economy and contributing to national development programs.