Ghana Statistical Service Trains Staff on Administrative Data Collection
Posted by Elvis Offei-Bekoe - 28th March 2023
On the 27th and 28th of March 2023, the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) organized a two-day training on Administrative Data Collection for selected Heads of Departments of Denkyembour District Assembly. The training was aimed at improving the skills of the participants in the collection, management, and analysis of administrative data.
The first day of the training focused on the basics of administrative data collection, lessons taken from the role out of phase one of the exercise, the role of administrative data in the preparation of Medium Term Development Plan and Annual Progress Report and Introduction to MMDAs Data Template.
The District Coordinating Director; Alhaji Shamrock Abdulai Gafaru welcomed the team from GSS to the district. He mentioned that the exercise was very important to improve revenue collection within the district. He also added that this exercise would go a long way to help the district in preparation of its local plans and documents and have a very credible consolidated data.
Mr Frank Murphy, a facilitator took participants through the role of administrative data in the Medium Term Development Plan and Annual Progress Report. He mentioned that the data would help identify key areas where developmental allocations would be administered. The data would also be able to help improve Local Economic Development within the district.
Miss Edem Titriku also took the participants through the template for the administrative data collection. The template which has numerous sectors including Agric, Electricity, Education, Roads, Crime, Road Accidents, Improved Sanitation, Births, Death, Local Economic Development, Health, Water and Sanitation, Forestry, Assembly Revenue and SDG Budget. The template has also an introduction sheet where designated officers would enter their details. She also added that, after the data compilation, the District Statistician would upload to a dedicated platform.
Participants were put into groups to practice how to use the template on day two of the training. The grouped were able to determine some shortfalls about the template which was reported to the team from GSS for further reporting to their authorities. Participants were also informed about a metadata which would further explain all the indicators in the template.
Participants was also taken through the SDGs and how to extract the SDG budget from the Activate and GIFMIS system. The facilitator also took participants through how to identify and handle data sources, method of computation and references and documentation. He finally gave some guidelines to the District Statistician in the pre-data, data and post-data collection.
In the closing remarks of the training, the District Chief Executive for the district expressed his gratitude to the Ghana Statistical Service for the intense training on Administrative Data Collection which would help the district compile and collate accurate data that would inform policy decision. He also expressed gratitude to all participants and urged everyone to take the training serious. He lastly mentioned that the doors of the assembly was always open to the Ghana Statistical Service.