On 18 December, International Migrants Day, ACDI participated in the Migration Data Dialogue held at the Tang Palace Hotel in Accra. The convening, organised by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Ghana and the Ghana Statistical Service, brought together policymakers, statisticians and development partners to reflect on the state of migration data in Ghana and identify pathways for strengthening its use in national decision-making.
Prof. Charles Amoatey, Director of ACDI and National IOM Consultant for the ATUU Project Baseline Assessment, delivered a presentation examining Ghana’s migration data ecosystem. His analysis reviewed the institutional landscape, current data collection and coordination practices, recent reforms and areas requiring further attention.
He highlighted important progress, including the development of StatsBank, the introduction of Migration 360, the establishment of district migration desks and the publication of Ghana’s first thematic migration report. These milestones reflect growing recognition of the importance of migration data within national systems.
At the same time, the dialogue acknowledged persistent structural challenges. These include fragmented data systems, limited interoperability across institutions, manual reporting processes at the district level, gaps in data and ICT capacity, and continued reliance on donor funding. Prof. Amoatey emphasised the need for stronger national coordination, sustainable domestic financing and demand-driven data systems aligned with national policy priorities.
During the discussion, Dr. Leticia Adelaide Appiah, Executive Director of the National Population Council, raised a critical governance consideration. She underscored the importance of involving statutory advisory institutions throughout the entire data cycle, from planning and indicator selection to data collection, analysis and policy translation, if migration evidence is to effectively inform Parliament and the Office of the President.
The dialogue reinforced a shared understanding: collecting data alone is not sufficient. What matters is building coordinated, inclusive and trusted systems that translate migration data into clear, actionable insights for national development.
