The Governor of Ghana's central bank, Dr Johnson Pandit Asiama, has emphasized the need for a dedicated digital platform to make the country's official statistics more accessible. This, he believes, will improve economic research, policymaking, and investment decisions. Dr Asiama made this call at the launch of the maiden edition of Ghana in Numbers 2025, an initiative of the Ghana Statistical Service.
Dr Asiama commended the Ghana Statistical Service for bringing together authoritative information on the country's socio-economic conditions. He described the report as an important resource for understanding national progress, identifying emerging challenges, and setting development priorities. The Governor noted that making underlying data available in machine-readable formats would allow researchers, policymakers, and businesses to deploy artificial intelligence and other analytical tools.
Accurate and timely statistics are essential to the central bank's work, particularly in setting monetary policy and regulating the financial sector. As an inflation-targeting central bank, the BoG relies on data to assess price movements and their relationship with exchange rates, economic activity, and credit conditions. Dr Asiama stressed that reliable statistics strengthen transparency, enhance accountability, and promote public confidence in institutions.
The Governor welcomed the inclusion of a dedicated monetary and financial-sector section in Ghana in Numbers 2025, which draws substantially on official data produced by the BoG. This section offers a clearer picture of the country's economic and financial environment, including information on inflation, interest rates, and banking-sector conditions. Dr Asiama noted that advances in data science and artificial intelligence present opportunities to improve economic forecasting and identify patterns.
Dr Asiama said the central bank is strengthening its capacity to use data analytics and emerging technologies in policy development and institutional decision-making. The BoG has established a Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence Department to improve data governance and support the responsible use of new technologies. The bank is also developing a directive to regulate the use of artificial intelligence in the financial sector.
The proposed directive forms part of the central bank's approach to encouraging innovation while addressing risks associated with the growing use of AI. Dr Asiama's remarks highlighted the importance of combining reliable official statistics with modern analytical tools to strengthen economic decision-making. The Governor's call for a dedicated digital platform is expected to extend the usefulness of the report beyond its published tables and charts.
The Bank of Ghana's efforts to leverage AI and data analytics aim to promote a stable economy and support informed decision-making. By making official statistics more accessible, the central bank hopes to foster a more transparent and accountable economic environment. The Governor's initiative is seen as a step towards harnessing the potential of AI to drive economic growth and development in Ghana.
Key points
- Dr Johnson Pandit Asiama calls for a dedicated digital platform to make Ghana's official statistics more accessible.
- The Bank of Ghana is developing a directive to regulate the use of artificial intelligence in the financial sector.
- The central bank has established a Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence Department to improve data governance and support the responsible use of new technologies.
