The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), in collaboration with Statistics Denmark, has introduced the StatsBank Academic and Hackathon 2023 initiative aimed at engaging university students and promoting the use of census data for policy-driven research.
The launch event, hosted at the University for Development Studies (UDS), provides students with a platform for innovation, mentorship, collaboration, and team-building.
The GSS StatsBank serves as the country's premier online database for accessing detailed census statistics, enhancing the value of data and statistics within its purview.
Dr. Faustina Frempong-Ainguah, Deputy Government Statistician, explained that StatsBank currently houses over 350 million statistics, including data from the 2021 Population and Housing Census, as well as a comprehensive set of macroeconomic indicators.
Dr. Frempong-Ainguah highlighted Ghana's pioneering role as the first African nation to offer such a comprehensive, locally hosted tool for census data. She added that GSS would expand the StatsBank platform to encompass data from various censuses and surveys in the coming months.
Professor Seidu Al-Hassan, Vice-Chancellor of UDS, emphasized the significance of an efficient data system in improving the quality of life, particularly in rural areas and driving development.
He underscored the importance of data in helping governments, policymakers, and organizations measure challenges and take effective actions to find solutions.
Reporting by Comfort Sena Fetrie-Akagbor; Editing by Dennis Gyamfi