The Government of Ghana, UNDP and the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) are jointly hosting a Regional Workshop on data usage from 19th - 20th March 2015 at the M-Plaza Hotel in Accra.

The workshop brings together a range of actors and stakeholders in development cooperation to discuss ways to exploit the wealth of available data to meet financial and budgetary planning needs at national and sub-national levels, and to challenge those providing information to do so with greater emphasis on the quality needs of the end user.

“We are delighted to join with the Government of Ghana and IATI in hosting this very important workshop,” said Dominic Sam, UNDP Country Director. “It reflects the growing demand for transparency in development cooperation, and we look forward to exploring ways to make data better serve development.”

IATI is a multi-stakeholder initiative that seeks to increase the transparency of development cooperation to maximize impact on poverty.

The initiative was launched at the Accra High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in 2008 in response to stakeholder demands for timely, detailed and accessible information on aid support and development cooperation.

The IATI Secretariat led by UNDP, comprises UNOPS, Development Initiatives and the Governments of Ghana and Sweden.

Currently, well over 300 organizations publish information on the resources they make available for development through the IATI Registry. While the number of publishers continues to grow, users of the information at country level have highlighted a lack of quality in the published information from providers, which renders it insufficiently reliable to meet the planning needs of national governments as well as other end users.

“In line with our current fiscal consolidation efforts, GoG recognizes the importance of transparency in the assistance from our development partners to ensure that we have adequate information on the resources coming in, and can plan as well as use our limited resources in an optimal manner”, said Hon. Cassiel Ato Forson, Deputy Minister of Finance.

During the two-day workshop, participants will agree on common actions that will advance the use of development cooperation data, and address any systemic barriers.

The workshop is expected to result in a clear roadmap for promoting data usage and strengthening development cooperation management systems at country level, and cooperation at the regional level.

The workshop provides an opportunity to consider how IATI can support global policy discussions relating to the Financing for Development and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Discussions will also consider areas in which additional support is required to ensure that global transparency efforts continue to reflect changing country needs, as reliance on aid becomes less significant and other forms of development finance expand. Participation is by invitation.