Economist Professor Godfred Bokpin has sharply criticized the nature of public discourse in Ghana, arguing that national conversations are too often driven by emotion rather than evidence. He stressed the urgent need to elevate the role of data—its use, accessibility, and significance—in shaping national policy and decision-making.
Speaking during a panel session at the 2025 Annual Forum for Data Producers, Users, and Enhancers, Prof. Bokpin underscored that placing data at the centre of national dialogue is essential for sound economic management.
“As an academic, I place more value on data than on gold. Countries have managed without gold deposits. I would choose data over gold, over oil, over any other resource, because without data, nothing gets done. That is how important data is,” he stated.
He noted that while the Ghana Statistical Service produces vast amounts of useful data, much of it remains underutilised. He called for renewed efforts to harness this information to improve economic planning, business strategy, and public policy.
“There is so much data harvested by the Ghana Statistical Service. Sometimes we think they exist only to provide GDP figures, but they do far more. The question is: in our daily lives, how often do we rely on data? How data-driven are we? This country is a talk show country—because much of our media discourse is not driven by data,” he said.
Prof. Bokpin argued that grounding national conversations in data would reduce unnecessary disagreements, emotional exchanges, and partisan conflicts, enabling more constructive and solution-oriented dialogue.
“If the data shows we are doing well, it is what it is—regardless of political affiliation. You don’t need a prophet to interpret it. Yet many arguments in Ghana are emotional simply because people have not looked at the data. We must elevate data—its usage and accessibility—and place it at the forefront of national discussions. Only then can Ghana make meaningful progress,” he concluded.
