Ghana's central bank wants the country's official economic statistics to do a lot more work than sitting inside PDF reports. At the launch of the maiden Ghana in Numbers 2025 report in Accra last Thursday, Bank of Ghana (BoG) Governor Dr Johnson Pandit Asiama called on the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) to build a dedicated electronic portal that puts the raw data behind national statistical publications directly into the hands of researchers, businesses and policymakers — in formats that machines can actually read and analyse.
The proposal is more pointed than a general call for transparency. Dr Asiama specifically wants the underlying data series — not just the finished charts and tables — made available in accessible, machine-readable formats that analysts can feed into AI models, statistical software and advanced forecasting tools.
"Ghana in Numbers can go a step further to enhance its value and impact by making the underlying data series available through a dedicated electronic portal in accessible, machine-readable and readily usable formats," Dr Asiama said at the Accra event.
The Ghana in Numbers 2025 report — the first edition of what is billed as a flagship publication — covers the country's socio-economic conditions, demographic developments and key economic indicators. Dr Asiama commended the GSS for making official statistics more accessible, describing the publication as "a national resource for assessing Ghana's development progress, identifying emerging challenges and setting national priorities."
Why the BoG Is Betting on AI for Policy
The Governor's push for open data access is not happening in isolation. Dr Asiama disclosed that the Bank of Ghana is setting up a Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence Department to sharpen the central bank's own analytical muscle — improving data governance, expanding in-house capacity and promoting what he described as responsible use of technology in policymaking.
For Ghana's AI and data ecosystem, that is a significant signal. A central bank department dedicated to AI-driven analysis could set the tone for how public institutions across the country approach data infrastructure.
Dr Asiama also flagged that the Bank is developing a directive to regulate AI use across the financial sector — a framework designed to encourage fintech innovation while keeping emerging risks in check. He noted that the BoG's inflation-targeting framework depends on forward-looking, evidence-based decisions, making timely and reliable data a non-negotiable input.
What Wider Data Access Could Mean for Business
The commercial case is straightforward. When reliable economic data is locked in static publications, private-sector players — from startups to large corporates — struggle to build accurate market models. A machine-readable portal would let companies run their own analysis on demographic shifts, consumer trends and economic conditions without waiting for a report cycle.
Dr Asiama was direct about this: wider access to official statistics could sharpen market research, improve investment planning and strengthen business forecasting across sectors.
"Let us see Ghana in Numbers not merely as a statistical publication, but as a national resource for understanding our circumstances, evaluating our progress and making better decisions," he said.
The call lands at a time when Ghana's economy is navigating a complex mix of rising business registrations and persistent employment pressures — exactly the kind of environment where better data infrastructure could help policymakers and investors spot patterns early rather than react late.
Whether the GSS moves quickly to build the portal Dr Asiama envisions remains to be seen, but with the BoG lending its weight to the push — and building its own data governance capabilities in parallel — the pressure on Ghana's statistical institutions to modernise is now public and on the record.