By Godwill Arthur-Mensah
Accra, March 13, GNA – The Services sector, which is driven by information and communications via data and Short Message Services usage contributed 2.51% to the 5.7% gross domestic product (GDP) growth in 2024.
Professor Samuel Kobina Annim, the Government Statistician, who told the Parliament’s Committee of the Whole said industry, mining and quarry contributed 2.24% while the agriculture sector contributed 0.6% and the rest contributed 0.32% to the GDP growth last year.
He debunked assertions by the Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson that the GDP growth last year was due to the contribution of illegal small-scale mining, otherwise known as “galamsey”.
Prof. Annim underscored the need for the nation to consciously build statistical footprints to feed into policy agenda to ensure sustainable growth.
The Government’s Statistician said the Ghana Statistical Service was building a statistics online bank which would be a one-stop shop platform whereby government’s Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) would deposit their data for easy accessibility by the public.
Mr Andrew Asiamah Amoako, the Second Deputy Speaker and Member of Parliament for Fomena constituency, commended the Government Statistician for maintaining a neutral stance over the years and not allowing political interferences to influence his work.
He encouraged him to continue that tangent to ensure trust and confidence in the data produced by the Ghana Statistical Service.
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