Economics professor Godfred Bokpin has criticised the quality of Ghana’s national conversations, arguing that far too many public debates are shaped by emotion rather than evidence. He says the country must urgently elevate the role of data in public policy, decision-making and everyday discourse.

Speaking at the 2025 Annual Forum for Data Producers, Users and Enhancers, Prof. Bokpin stressed that reliable data remains the single most important input for sound governance and economic management. According to him, countries can function without natural resources, but no nation can progress without solid data.

“As an academic, I value data more than gold or oil. Without data, nothing gets done. That is how important it is,” he told participants during a panel discussion.

He also noted that although the Ghana Statistical Service produces a wealth of information every year, much of it is ignored or underutilised. He urged policymakers, businesses and the public to integrate this data into planning, monitoring and evaluation processes.

“There is so much data harvested by the Statistical Service, yet many people think they only produce GDP figures,” he said. “The real question is: how often do we rely on data in our daily lives? How data-driven are we?”

Prof. Bokpin lamented that national discussions frequently resemble talk shows rather than evidence-based exchanges. He argued that greater reliance on data would reduce disputes on media platforms and temper emotionally charged debates.

“If we were driven by data as a country, there would be fewer disagreements, less emotion and probably fewer fights, because data simply speaks for itself,” he added.