Ghana: GSS holds a data documentation and NADA extension workshop (September 2014)

A Microdata Management Toolkit Training and Metadata Production Workshop was held in Accra from 8 to 12 September 2014 at the request of Ghana Statistics Service (GSS). A total of 21 participants from different divisions of GSS (12) attended. Also present were different partner agencies in NSS, including: Ministry of Education (2), Ministry of Food and Agriculture (1), Ministry of Health (1) and Birth and Death Registry (3). Apart from the agencies in NSS, two participants from Center for Data Archiving, Management, Analysis and Advocacy (C-DAMAA) of Cape Coast University also participated in the workshop with survey microdata.

In the workshop 14 surveys including civil registration from the Birth and Death Registry and Administrative records from MOE and MOH were documented, checked for quality and uploaded on GSS NADA: http://www.statsghana.gov.gh/nada/index.php/catalog. The NADA was enhanced to maintain collections from these different agencies. These include a collection for: Birth and Death Registry, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health and C-DAMAA (UCC).  The ministries, C-DAMAA and GSS have agreed to use the GSS NADA as a databank until the partner agencies have their own archive. The workshop was quite successful in extending the GSS central NADA to other microdata producers. Thanks to the GSS management who understands the value of this work and gives the required attention to assist partner MDAs in the national statistical system, the workshop was a success and the NADA serves as a regional example. The workshop was held in Ghana Statistical Training Centre in GSS and facilitated by ADP consultants Mrs. Aakinsanya Afusat Adepeju from Nigeria and Mr. Biniyam Tadesse Awoke from Central Statistics Agency (CSA) of Ethiopia.