Digitalising bureaucratic processes –The example of Ghana Statistical Service

A little over a decade ago, the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) would be the last state institution to earn a positive end-user review from me. Today, I am the first to champion and praise their work because my end-user experience is very different from a decade ago.

Two things have contributed to this turnaround in my estimation. First is the visionary leadership of current government statistician, Prof. Samuel Kobina Annim. In this op-ed piece, however, I would like to focus on the second contributing factor –leveraging technology. 

Bureaucratic Inefficiency and Poor Customer Service

It was during the dissertation phase of my doctoral studies and needing data from GSS. Knowing how slow bureaucratic processes can be, Ghana not being an exception, I downloaded and completed the data request form and e-mailed it (that was the process) one month in advance. My frustration began when I arrived in Ghana and showed up at GSS for the requested data. 

First, the request could not be traced. Thankfully, I had a hard copy with me. After the first bureaucrat glanced through, I was informed two different units would be responsible for fulfilling the request, only for the next bureaucrat I was directed to to tell me “This is data you have to obtain from the Bank of Ghana.” I knew that was not the case because I had done my homework before I approached GSS. 

Second, the timeline to respond was unacceptable, especially since I had submitted my request a month in advance even though the bureaucrat claimed there was no record of it. I was asked to come back in two weeks for partial fulfilment of the data request since they still insisted Bank of Ghana was the place for the other half. 

The customer service reception from the two bureaucrats I had interacted with was extremely poor. In the end, I received the partial data, paid the required service fee and left. I must admit that for months I was relentless in my public criticisms of GSS.

Leveraging Technology & Elimination of Bureaucratic Inefficiencies

Today’s experience is very different. Although downloading, completing and e-mailing a data request is still an option, most end users will not have to, mainly because of how GSS is leveraging technology in two important ways.

First, is data availability. In my first experience, very limited data was publicly available online (inflation, GDP quarterly reports, a few past reports, etc.). They were also not in user-friendly formats if an end user needed to export the data for further analysis. Also, although there was a platform designed to make the data available online, it never appeared to have any data populated. Today, the online data catalogue boasts sixty-five datasets covering population and housing, macroeconomic indicators, household income and expenditure surveys, trade indicators and living standards surveys. 

Second, is the ease of access to data. The Ghana Statistical Service StatsBank is the tool facilitating data access. One of its excellent features is the search function. This allows the end user to search for and extract the data needed quickly. This is why I am sure the past process of downloading, completing and e-mailing a form to request data will soon be a thing of the past. The other plus side of ease of access is how quickly the data can be downloaded and exported in three different formats – CSV, STATA and SPSS. These are statistical tools for comprehensively analysing data, and the different formats offered allow the end user to choose their preferred tool. 

The Way Forward

It is no surprise to see significantly improved scores for Ghana on the Ibrahim Index of African Governance, a product of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation on three important indicators. First, scores for statistical data coverage, which essentially measures the availability of statistical indicators about social, economic, financial and environmental issues, have improved from 41 per cent in 2014 to 60 per cent in 2023. Second, scores for statistical data openness, which essentially measures access as I have described above, improved from 28 per cent in 2014 to 49 per cent in 2023. Third, scores for statistical capacity (measures methodology, source data, periodicity and timeliness) improved from 64 per cent in 2014 to 74 per cent in 2023.

Surely, there is still room for greater strides. Still, for now, it goes without saying that the Ghana Statistical Service has demonstrated very well how digitalising bureaucratic processes can a) improve end-user experience and b) eliminate bureaucratic inefficiencies. 

My suggestion for GSS is to make the data request form electronic.

Other state institutions can learn from GSS’s example in terms of best practices but also challenges faced and strategies for overcoming them when digitalising bureaucratic processes.

Keep up the good work, GSS!

The writer is the Project Director, Democracy Project