Senior Partner at AB & David Africa, Dr. David Ofosu-Dorte, has called on businesses in Ghana to pay closer attention to the wealth of data produced by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS).

According to him, such information holds untapped potential for game-changing corporate strategy and decision-making.

Speaking to JoyBusiness on the sidelines of the Africa Business Conversation, a high-level thought leadership event organized by AB & David in Accra, Dr. Ofosu-Dorte stressed that many businesses either underestimate or are unaware of the depth of data available with the GSS.

“We must give credit to the GSS, there are a lot of things they publish which businesses ought to pay attention to,” he said.

While admonishing businesses to take advantage of such data, he also employed the GSS deepen its collaboration with the industry and create more awareness of data produced.

He added that effective partnerships and collaboration will be key in empowering local businesses.

“There are data they (businesses) have that businesses should be paying attention to. It turns out that they have quite a lot of data that either businesses are not aware of that they can use in their corporate strategy or they have failed to highlight it enough in their presentations.”

Dr. Ofosu-Dorte also highlighted the opportunity for GSS to commercialise some of its data products to improve its financial sustainability.

“They can actually make money out of it as well to improve their funding for the production of indigenous data, so that we do not over-rely on donors and foreign entities for the data production,” he noted.

Highlighting the need for tailored data, Mr. Ofosu-Dorte charged the GSS to ensure the that industry-specific data is produced. This he believes will aid diverse businesses to tap into the databank for informed decision making.

His comments were in sync with captains of industry present at the Africa Business Conversation.

The Africa Business Conversation series continues to serve as a platform for aligning public and private sector efforts toward sustainable business growth across the continent.

This edition of the dialogue focused on how businesses can harness statistical data for smarter decision-making and how institutions like the Ghana Statistical Service can better support private sector needs.