VEEP Jane Naana: Ghana development centered on data-driven policies

Vice President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, has called for increased investment in data literacy across institutions to support the development of evidence-based policies that drive national progress.

She made this call at the 2025 Pre-Global Data Festival Ghana High-Level Meeting, held under the theme “Driving Data Innovation, Policy, and South-South Collaborations.” The event brought together delegates from across Africa to deepen political engagement on data-driven development across the continent.

Professor Opoku-Agyemang expressed concern over the limited time remaining to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She urged all stakeholders to prioritise data investments as a key tool for attaining these global targets.

“Let us reaffirm our commitment to investing in the data proficiency of our institutions and embedded evidence in policymaking. We must arrive at a destination where data is not done exclusively for us or about us, but also generated by our people, governed by us and used in our service.”

The Vice President also commended Ghana’s recent economic performance, highlighting a 5.3% growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the first quarter of 2025 and a drop in inflation to 12.1% in July 2025.

She attributed these achievements to the government’s data-driven and evidence-based approach, which has enabled it to meet its fiscal deficit target.

She further underscored the government’s commitment to digital transformation, citing the One Million Coders Program as a flagship initiative aimed at equipping young people with data and digital skills.

According to her, this initiative is part of a broader strategy to empower Ghanaians to become not just consumers, but active contributors to the global digital economy.