By Nii Martey M. Botchway
Accra, Oct. 20, GNA â The Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) has called for more space for independent voices in Ghanaâs economic discourse to promote objective assessment of government policies and national development.
It said economic issues were often interpreted through partisan political lenses, and it was therefore necessary to encourage independent experts to provide balanced perspectives based on evidence, research and professional expertise.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency on the sidelines of the launch of the 35th State of the Ghanaian Economy Report (SGER) 2025 at ISSER, Professor Robert Darko Osei, Director of the Institute, said independent assessments of the economy could help broaden public understanding of economic developments and provide policymakers with constructive recommendations beyond partisan debates.
âWhat we are saying is that there is a middle ground where people can look at these issues in a non-partisan way and share true reflections based on their expertise,â he said.
Touching on the report, Prof. Osei said it was intended to provide an independent assessment of Ghanaâs economic performance and offer recommendations to inform national policy discussions.
He said the recommendations were not intended to dictate government policy but to provide a reference point for assessing development priorities and determining whether existing policies were consistent with the countryâs economic needs.
He explained that while the report provided a broad overview of the economy and identified areas requiring attention, specific policy decisions required further analysis to determine the most effective interventions.
For instance, he said, decisions on infrastructure investment needed to be informed by evidence to establish which projects would deliver the greatest economic and social returns.
He noted that the choice between competing infrastructure projects required careful consideration of their potential impact on productivity, economic activity and the welfare of citizens.
Prof. Osei said independent assessments could help inform such decisions by highlighting priorities and encouraging policymakers to justify their choices with evidence.
Asked whether more room should be created for independent voices in national discussions, he answered in the affirmative, while stressing the need for those voices to exercise their responsibilities appropriately.
âI think it is critical that we have independent voices speak on issues, otherwise we are always going to have a bias in terms of the kinds of things that we put out there,â he said.
He said the involvement of independent researchers and experts was important in ensuring that national economic discussions reflected diverse perspectives and remained focused on the country’s development needs.
Prof. Osei also said ISSER intended to make its economic assessments more accessible to the public through abridged versions of its reports and community engagements.
He said the initiative would help explain economic developments to ordinary Ghanaians and encourage discussions on the policy choices needed to improve livelihoods.
He emphasised that economic research should extend beyond the publication of reports to engage citizens and inform public debate on national priorities.
The Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) is a semi-autonomous research institute within the College of Humanities, University of Ghana, Legon.
Established in 1962 as the Institute of Statistics and later reconstituted in 1969 as ISSER, it is one of Africaâs leading economic and social research institutions.
Its mandate includes conducting independent research on economic, social and statistical issues, providing evidence-based advice to government, the private sector and civil society, and building capacity through its graduate programmes (MA, MPhil and PhD in Development Studies).
ISSERâs flagship publication, the State of the Ghanaian Economy Report (SGER), has been published annually since 1991.
The report provides a comprehensive, non-partisan review of Ghanaâs economic performance in the preceding fiscal year, covering macroeconomic developments, sectoral performance, fiscal and monetary policy, trade, employment and social indicators.
The 2025 edition, the 35th in the series reviews the economy in 2024, a year marked by Ghanaâs continued post-Domestic Debt Exchange Programme recovery, IMF programme implementation, inflation moderation and fiscal consolidation efforts.
The report is widely regarded as an independent benchmark for assessing government economic management and is used by policymakers, investors, academics, media and development partners.
In recent years, ISSER has also championed public engagement initiatives such as the ISSER Roadshow and policy dialogues aimed at translating complex economic analysis into accessible language for the general public.
GNA
Nii Martey M. Botchway
Email :[email protected]
Edited by Samuel Osei-Frempong