The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has organised a six-day training workshop for 400 field supervisors and enumerators within the Ga East and Adentan Municipalities prior to the commencement of its Integrated Business Economic Survey (IBES).

The training is aimed at equipping the participants with knowledge on how to collect the data within the Municipalities during the nationwide survey, which would be used to compile the IBES report.

The IBES is an economic census, which seeks to obtain an up-to-date information and accurate description of all businesses in Ghana.

It is the fifth economic census to be conducted by the Service and structured in two phases: IBES I and IBES II.

IBES I is a census of all establishments or businesses in Ghana to produce a business register while IBES II is a sample survey, which will focus on detailed operational activities of businesses in all sectors of the economy.

The Register would serve as a sampling frame for the selection of establishments for the second phase of
IBES.

Generally, the census would be conducted on the three main economic sectors – Institutional Agriculture, Industry and Services.

Phase one of the census commenced on January 15, 2024.

Madam Priscilla Opoku, the Centre Lead for Ga East and Adentan Municipal Assemblies, stated that the workshop was to train participants on exactly what to, the protocols to follow, and how to understand the questions to get the accurate answers or responses.

She indicated that the confidentiality of information obtained from respondents would be protected, saying ‘the field enumerators and supervisors have been made to swear an oath of secrecy due to issues of confidentiality, therefore, failure to adhere to this rule is a criminal offence and punishable by law’.

Madam Opoku said the field work was expected to last for 21 days and appealed to the public to be cooperative.

‘We are pleading with the public to give the enumerators a few minutes of their time. We know they are busy especially with these firms but for the
sake of Ghana we need all these things for policymaking,’ she said.

The enumerators and supervisors are to appear in their blue reflector jackets bearing the GSS logo with their identity cards.

Source: Ghana News Agency