Ghanaian economist Professor Godfred Bokpin has criticised Ghana’s public discourse, arguing that national policy decisions are overwhelmingly shaped by emotion and political dogmatism rather than concrete evidence.

He emphasised the urgent need for Ghana to elevate data—its usage, accessibility, and relevance—above all other national resources.

Professor Bokpin made his strong remarks during a panel discussion at the 2025 Annual Forum for Data Producers, Users, and Enhancers, underscoring that placing verifiable data at the centre of national dialogue is non-negotiable for sound economic progress.

Drawing a sharp comparison between data and Ghana’s valuable natural resources like gold and oil, Professor Bokpin firmly established the superior economic value of accurate information for national planning and development.

“As an academic, I put more emphasis on data than gold because I can do without gold. Countries have managed their affairs without gold deposits. I will choose data over gold. I will choose data over oil. I will choose data over every input because, without data, nothing gets done. That is how important data is,” he stated.

The Professor condemned the current state of public discussion, arguing that the lack of data-driven debate is the root cause of much national disagreement and political polarisation.

“There is so much data that is harvested in this country by the Ghana Statistical Service. Sometimes we think that the Ghana Statistical Service exists only to give a GDP number. They do so much, so much. But the question is, in our daily life, how often do we rely on data? How data-driven are we? This country is a talk show country. Forgive me.”

He asserted that relying on objective data would immediately temper partisan passions:

“The reason this country is a talk show country is that a lot of our discussions across the media platform is not driven by data. If we were driven by data as a country, there would be less disagreement in our discussions on media platforms, and there would be less emotion and probably less fighting. You understand that? Because the data is what it is,” Professor Bokpin remarked.

Professor Bokpin noted that while the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) harvests vast amounts of valuable data on inflation, GDP, unemployment (which recently hovered around 13%), and poverty, much of this resource remains severely underutilised by policymakers and businesses.

He argued that once data becomes the central pillar of national conversations, debates can proceed dispassionately, irrespective of political affiliation, thereby facilitating evidence-based policy and essential economic reforms.

“If we are doing well, the data says so; it doesn’t matter which party you belong to. So inflation has come down to 6.3%. You don’t need a prophet to tell you this is it and the implication because this is what it is. So sometimes our dogmatism and all of that is magnified because we are less driven by data. Sometimes you see people making arguments driven by emotions.”

He concluded with an urgent call to action, emphasising that elevating data usage is the direct route to achieving meaningful national development:

“The reason that is happening is that they have not looked at the data. What is the data saying? I think that we are at a point where we can elevate data in terms of its usage and accessibility, and we need to put data at the forefront of national discussion. This way, Ghana will be able to make meaningful progress,” Professor Bokpin mentioned.