Gov’t to Strengthen Data Integrity with Data Review Committee Inauguration

The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has taken steps to strengthen the credibility and quality of data used for social protection interventions in Ghana, with the inauguration of a Data Review Committee for the Ghana National Household Registry (GNHR).

The Committee, which has been formally constituted and sworn in, will serve as a quality assurance mechanism to review, validate and endorse all analytical reports and findings generated from the GNHR before they are disseminated to stakeholders and the public.

The move is considered critical, as the Registry currently holds data on about three million enrolled households across all 16 regions of Ghana – data that forms the backbone for targeting beneficiaries under key social protection programmes, including LEAP and other pro-poor interventions.

In her opening remarks at the inauguration, the Chief Director of the Ministry, Dr Marian W. A. Kpakpah, underscored the strategic importance of the Committee in ensuring that reliable and accurate data continues to drive decision-making in the social protection sector.

She urged members to take their responsibility seriously and bring their expertise to bear on the work of the Committee.

Providing the rationale for its establishment, the Head of the GNHR, Dr Richard Adjetey, explained that the Committee was constituted as a formal peer-review body to provide an additional layer of quality assurance.

He noted that with the growing volume of analytical outputs from the Registry, it had become imperative to institute a structured process to ensure findings are thoroughly reviewed and validated before being shared with government, development partners and the public.

According to the Ministry, the Committee’s mandate will focus on ensuring that GNHR data and analytical findings are accurate, consistent, complete and reliable, while identifying errors and methodological gaps and recommending corrective actions.

It will also provide technical guidance on data-sharing protocols, analytical tools and capacity building to strengthen evidence-based decision-making.

At the meeting, Mr Daniel Sackey of the GNHR took members through the Committee’s Terms of Reference and roles, and gave an overview of the GNHR’s data collection methodology, Proxy Means Test (PMT) indicators and model, questionnaire, key statistical outputs, Registry health indicators and data quality concerns.

The presentation is expected to equip members with an understanding of the systems and processes behind the Registry and the areas they will be required to scrutinise.

Members emphasised the need for continued collaboration with the GNHR to ensure its work remains robust.

The Committee is expected to immediately begin work to provide technical review and guidance to ensure that all analytical outputs from the Registry meet the required standards of quality and credibility.

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