2 Top Economists Rubbish Gov't Statistics

TWO TOP ranking economists, Mr. Moses Asaga and Nii Moi Thompson, have contended that the statistics the government put out on the Ghanaian economy are inconsistent.

According to them the persistent inconsistencies in the statistics do not only make independent analysis of government policy difficult but they also tend to undermine the integrity of important national institutions.

Speaking at a three-day seminar on Smooth Democratic Transitions in Ghana, Mr. Asaga who is the Minority Spokesperson on Finance, cited as an example the ?600billion expenditure, which the government reported that the previous administration could not account for.

"Instead of the government contacting the governor who was around, the government made such a report only for the governor to disclaim that report".

The Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) and the Fredriech Ebert Foundation sponsored the seminar.

Another example, Mr. Asaga said, was the Tema Oil Refinery debt that stood at ?850billion when the NDC government handed over to the NPP administration but which was variously reported later as standing at ?1.5trillion, ?2.5trillion ?3.5trillion.

On his part Mr. Thompson, noted that discrepancies still exist between statistics from the Ministry of Finance (MOF) and Bank of Ghana (BOG) indicating that the transition team's call for closer collaboration between the two central pillars in the nation's economic management has fallen on deaf ears.

"Even within the BOG figures reported by the treasury and the research departments do not reconcile", he said and called on the research departments of the MOF and the central bank in particular to make a conscious effort to collaborate and harmonize national statistics.

Mr. Thompson suggested that publishing of certain basic economic statistics on a more regular basis could also enhance statistical transparency.

"Monthly revenue collections, for instance, remain shrouded in mystery, and the independent analyst who needs information on such collections must first write a letter to the Minister of Finance, who must review it before passing the request on to the relevant revenue agencies, a needlessly time consuming exercise in an era where others operate with real time data".

He called on parliament to consider the enactment of a legal framework to guide future transitions, and that such a framework would help institutionalize transitional practices and provide a useful and unambiguous framework for assessing transitional situations.

He advised that once the Freedom of Information Act becomes operational, special efforts should be made to educate middle and high-level government officials about the importance of statistical transparency.