Census On Non-Household Establishments Launched

The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has launched the Integrated Business Establishment Survey (IBES) to undertake a census on non-household establishments in Ghana. A major objective of the census is to provide a register of all non-household establishments, including that of the informal sector, to provide a database for policy makers and researchers. Non-household establishments are all units of production whose physical location are fixed and can be traced, and they include carpentry shops, container shops, churches, mosques, schools, public institutions among others. Supported by the World Bank and the Government of Ghana, the survey will among others, cover agriculture, mining, manufacturing, energy, construction and finance. To ensure the reliability of the register, it would be updated every two years. Phases of survey The IBES would be in two phases; the first phase, expected to end this December, involves a census of all profit or non-profit establishments. Information to be collected during the first phase are: the name of establishment, postal address, industrial activity, type of organisation, among others. The second phase, which will begin in February 2015, will ensure that detailed information on sample identified is collected. When completed, the survey will ensure higher precision in estimating the contribution of the informal sector to the economy. Launching of the IBES Launching the IBES, a Government Statistician, Ms Philomena Nyarko, said the micro, small and medium-scale enterprises, which hitherto were not covered in most databases of institutions, would be covered by the census. She stated that the survey, when completed, would measure the contribution of each sector of the economy to Ghana�s employment and production. �The main field work is planned for September 2014, and by the end of the year, the business register is expected to be published and the sampling frame for the second phase of the IBES produced,� she said. Three committees, namely a Steering Committee, the Technical Advisory Committee and the Project Implementation Committee, were inaugurated to co-ordinate and monitor the conduct of the IBES. Ms Nyarko expressed the confidence that the committees would work hard to ensure the success of the IBES.