E/R records over 58,000 establishments in one year- GSS report
Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), Integrated Business Establishment Survey (IBES) report has indicated that the Eastern Region recorded a total of 58,766 establishment between September 2014 and February 2015.
According to the report 83.1per cent of the establishments were in the services sector, which comprised retailing and wholesaling, insurance, Information Communication Technology (ICT), laundry and other domestic services, 16.6 per cent in the industry sector also comprising, factories, utilities, mining and quarries while the Agriculture sector was 0.19 per cent.
This was disclosed at a regional launch of the IBES report and Spatial Business report and district business registers in Koforidua to disseminate the findings and challenges of the survey to stakeholders including district directors and planning officers.
The report said new Juaben Municipality recorded the highest number of establishments with 7,905 out of which 83.6 per cent were found in the services sector and 13.6 per cent in the industrial sector.
The Birim Central municipality recorded 4,025 establishments, while the Afram Plains recorded the lowest number of establishments with 454.
The IBES, is an economic and industrial census initiated in 2014, with an objective to provide a business register with physical location of establishments, type of ownership and to have an accurate data on employment and business statistics.
Mr Anthony Amuzu, the Deputy Government Statistician, who launched the report said a total of 638,234 establishments were recorded by the IBES and the data was collected between September 2014 and February 2015 adding that the report also observed that ‘more than three quarters of the establishments across most of the regions and districts were micro-sized’.
He said the report provided detailed information about activities of all the establishments in terms of where each of them could be located, what they were doing, their contribution to employment and job creation in Ghana and many other relevant information that provide a sound basis for evidence-based policy formulation and implementation.
Mr Anthony Amuzu explained that the reports provided the various districts with accurate data on businesses for policy planning and implementation as well as an establishment register and urged all stakeholders particularly the assemblies to use them exhaustively for the benefit of national development.
Mr Kozie Sambo, the Eastern Regional Coordinating Director, urged the assemblies to use the data to advance their cause since development programmes were grounded at the local authority level.
Source: GNA