Gender Ministry Sets Up Committee to Strengthen Credibility of Household Data

The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) has established a Data Review Committee to improve the accuracy, quality and credibility of data and analytical reports produced by the Ghana National Household Registry (GNHR).

The Committee will serve as a technical quality assurance body, reviewing and validating findings from the Registry before they are shared with government institutions, development partners and the public. Its establishment comes at a time when the GNHR holds information on about three million households across all 16 regions of the country.

Speaking at the inauguration, the Ministry’s Chief Director, Dr Marian W. A. Kpakpah, said the Committee would play an important role in ensuring that reliable data continued to guide policy formulation and decision-making in the social protection sector. She urged members to bring their professional expertise to bear on the assignment and approach their responsibilities with commitment.

The Head of the GNHR, Dr Richard Adjetey, explained that the Committee had been formed to introduce a structured peer-review process and provide an additional layer of scrutiny for the Registry’s growing volume of analytical outputs.

Its responsibilities will include checking data and findings for accuracy, consistency, completeness and reliability, identifying errors and methodological gaps, and recommending corrective measures.

Members will also provide technical guidance on data-sharing protocols, analytical tools and capacity building to promote the effective use of household data in evidence-based decision-making.

As part of the meeting, Daniel Sackey of the GNHR took members through the Committee’s Terms of Reference and outlined their roles. He also presented an overview of the Registry’s data collection methodology, Proxy Means Test (PMT) indicators and model, questionnaire, statistical outputs, Registry health indicators, and existing data quality concerns.

The presentation familiarised members with the systems and processes underpinning the Registry and the technical considerations that would guide their work.

Members subsequently discussed the way forward, stressing the importance of sustained collaboration with the GNHR.

The Committee is expected to provide the technical oversight needed to ensure that the Registry’s analytical reports meet the required standards of accuracy, quality and credibility before publication.

Grace Acheampong, ISD