90 Immigration officers undergo statistical literacy training

A five-day intensive capacity-building training on statistical literacy has been organised for officers of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.

The officers, who were drawn from all the 16 regional commands and border posts, were taken through an introduction to Microsoft Outlook and an introduction to Excel, including quality assurance, spreadsheet interface with and without data, as well as duplicating sheets, among others.

The workshop was held under the five-year Harmonising and Improving Statistics in West Africa (HISWA) project — a regional initiative dedicated to strengthening the production, harmonisation and utilisation of statistics across the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) sub-region.

The project spanning 2020-2025 is being funded by the European Union (EU) and coordinated by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS).

At the event, a Senior Statistician, GSS, Victor Boateng Owusu, said the training of the officers marked a critical step in their collective commitment to deepening data literacy across public institutions, particularly those whose work had direct implications on national planning, border security and migration management.

As the custodians of data and evidence for policymaking, he stated that the GSS recognised that collaboration with key security institutions such as the GIS was essential for fostering a data-responsive governance ecosystem.

“As Ghana continues to play a pivotal role in migration dynamics within West Africa, it is crucial that the Ghana Immigration Service is empowered with the statistical tools and understanding necessary to support effective planning, monitoring, and evaluation of migration-related activities,” he said.

He said statistical literacy went beyond knowing how to interpret numbers and encompassed the capacity to ask the right questions, understand data sources and limitations, draw evidence-based conclusions, and apply insights to operational and strategic decisions.

“This is especially relevant in today’s data-driven world, where the ability to produce, interpret and apply statistics is central to national development and regional integration,” Mr Owusu stated.

Value of data

The officer-in-charge of the Statistics Unit, GIS, Chief Superintendent Anita Gyasi, said for the GIS as an institution tasked with border security and immigration management, the value of high-quality data could not be overstated.

“From tracking migration trends to reporting operational activities and supporting policy formulation, data is the backbone of our work,” she stressed, adding that the training was to empower the participants to not only gather accurate data but to critically assess and utilise it in their work.

While commending the GSS for the partnership and technical support, she said the training was designed to enhance the capacity of the officers to understand key statistical concepts, data collection methodologies, basic data analysis and interpretation.

In a welcome address, the Ashanti Regional Commander, GIS, Deputy Commissioner of Immigration (DCOI), Fred Amankwa, said the training was not just about acquiring new knowledge but also about strengthening the capacity of the GIS to support national development with reliable data.