The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) yesterday organised a consultative meeting with stakeholders on the 2023 Ghana Integrated Business Establishment Survey (IBES) Phase 1.
The survey, an economic census that will enumerate all businesses in October 2023 is to provide data for decision-making for business growth and national development.
The IBES will also help in building an updated online business register and profiling the distribution of businesses by their firmographics.
The first phase will be followed by Phase II, a survey of selected businesses in 2024.
Government Statistician, Prof. Samuel Kobina Annim, in his opening remarks said the GSS in the last decade has worked towards identifying areas that need attention to drive national transformation.
He thus indicated that the IBES I would focus on helping businesses escape the informality trap while the IBES II would include questions to identify pandemic-induced challenges that businesses face.
“The census that we are going to do is what will form the basis for the sample of businesses that would be followed on monthly basis for the collection of data for PPI,” Prof. Annim noted.
He thus expressed his appreciation to the stakeholders noting that 60 unique umbrella organisations had been invited for the meeting which would also be held in the middle and northern belts of the country.
The 2023 IBES Coordinator, Anthony Krakah, said the 2023 IBES Phase I will enumerate all Businesses across all sectors of the economy.
“The 2023 IBES will be the forth, following surveys of the industry sector in 1987 and 2003 and an economic census in 2012 that included all sectors but excluded businesses within structures,” he noted.
He further noted that trained enumerators will visit businesses from October to December 2023 followed by analysis and report writing from January to February 2024 and the report launch in February 2024.
Following his presentation, there was a discussion by all participants on the role of stakeholders in a successful conduct of the exercise.
“Questions will include contact information on the establishment, head office information, principal activities and subsectors, employment data, establishment records, digital finance, and turnover/revenue among others,” he noted.
Treasurer and National Executive Council Member of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Raphael Ayittey, who chaired the event, urged all businesses to be counted stating, “Everybody is included, and we need that information to arrive at the desired destination.”
He noted that the business register derived from IBES will help businesses to streamline processes and know competitors.
It would also help government develop targeted policies and urged policymakers to make effective use of the business register.
He encouraged all businesses to cooperate with enumerators stating, “we have a shared responsibility as businesspeople to volunteer information on our businesses to help keep the business register as current as possible.”
He also added that, “government can only develop policies to promote the private sector only with credible and comprehensive data that reflects the business population”.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri