ROUTINE ACTIVITIES      The Service collects, compiles, analyses and publishes regular statistical information on the following:

Price Indices and Inflation: the GSS compiles Consumer Price Index (CPI) Numbers, Wholesale Price Index and these are done by regular market reading of prices of consumer goods and services at selected market centres across the country. These form the basis for the computation of inflation rates, wage and salary negotiations, bank interest rates as well as formulation of various macro-economic policies.      Public Finance & National Accounts: the GSS compiles national account statistics for the country, which provides useful information about all economic transactions, carried out in the country. Such information is obtained from the central bank, the commercial banks, other financial institutions and the agricultural sector.      Labour & Industrial Statistics: information is obtained, annually, on employment and earnings, production and stock of material and finished goods, fixed capital formation, input cost, sales and other receipts of the establishment.      Trade Statistics: compiled on monthly, quarterly and yearly basis, the information sought covers purchases, sales, imports, exports and stock of goods obtained from establishments. All these serve as inputs for national accounts computation.      Population Statistics: these deal mainly with population and housing censuses, but also cover vital registration on births, deaths, marriages and international migration.      Social Statistics: deals with data on health facilities, health personnel, morbidity, mortality, environmental sanitation, transport and communication, crime and law enforcement, culture and tourism, education.

PERIODIC ACTIVITIES      Apart from these routine activities, the GSS periodically conducts national household and institution-based surveys in the country:

Ghana Living Standards Survey (GLSS): the objective is to provide data to government for measuring the living standards of the population and changes in such living standards over time. Information obtained permits a more effective formulation and implementation of policies designed to improve the welfare of the Ghanaian population. Four rounds of the survey (1987/88, 1988/89, 1991/92 and 1998/99) have been undertaken and the data are available on request. A fifth round is scheduled for the last trimester of 2003 and will have household business enterprise as the special module.      Core Welfare Indicators Questionnaire (CWIQ) Survey: the objective is to provide reliable data on selected indicators on a timely basis for monitoring changes in the welfare status in various sub-groups of the population. In addition, it is to furnish policy makers, planners and programme managers with the set of simple indicators for monitoring poverty and the effect of development policies, programmes and projects on living standards in the country. For the first time in any country of the world, the CWIQ has been undertaken at the district level, covering 49,005 households. The results are expected to become available by end of July 2003.      Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS): the primary objective of the GDHS is to furnish policy makers and planners with detailed information on fertility, family planning, infant and child mortality, maternal and child health and nutrition, to help make sound and informed decisions. Data on three rounds (1988,1993 and 1998) are available on request; the 4th round of the GDHS is scheduled for August 2003, after a three-week training in July. The survey incorporates HIV testing, with the consent of respondents.      Situation Analysis Study (SAS) Survey: its objective is to collect information on the delivery of reproductive and child health services in Ghana. The SAS examines the supply side of health care, providing an assessment of the readiness of facilities to provide good quality health services. Information from the SAS helps health programme managers and policy makers to prioritize interventions to increase the provision of quality health services.      Ghana Child Labour Survey: GSS in collaboration with the Ministry of Manpower Development and Employment has implemented a child labour survey, covering 9,889 household and street children from 98 known locations nationwide. The objective of the survey is to provide quantitative and qualitative data on children’s activities (economic and non-economic) so as to determine the nature, magnitude and reasons for child labour and its effects on children’s education, health, morals and normal development. The report was released in June, 2003 and is available on the web.      National Industrial Census: there have been two previous national industrial censuses, in 1962 and 1987. These covered establishments in the manufacturing, mining and quarrying, and generation and distributing of water, electricity and gas. A third industrial census is already in its preparatory stage, having completed demarcation of establishment zones, listing of establishments and pretest of instruments. The main fieldwork is scheduled for September 2003, to be followed by a survey of all large and medium establishments and a sample of small-scale establishments in April 2004. As in the first census, the current undertaking covers the construction industry.