The Technical Advisory Committee for validation of the Integrated Business Establishment Survey (IBES) has concluded a day workshop with the External Stakeholders organized by the Ghana Statistical Service in Accra.

The workshop has brought together over thirty technocrats representing the end users of statistical data and some selected few from recognized to help update and improve upon existing methodologies for better results.

In presenting on the topic: Ghana 2023 IBES Methodology, Scope and Timelines, the INES Coordinator at the Ghana Statistical Service, Anthony Krakah said the overall objectives of Ghana 2023 Intergrated Business Establishment Survey (IBES) is to build an updated online business register, to to also update the categorization of businesses.

Other objectives included profiling the distribution of businesses by their firmographics, to establish the business growth poles by-products and their drivers as well as accessing the worth of businesses to determine changes in the structure of businesses over time.

The expanded scope of the objectives are; establishments under sheds (structures without enclosure), establishments in structures purposed for other activities, Businesses in open spaces but fixed locations, Mobile businesses and Virtual establishments/businesses, which the officials think is the most challenging one.

Phase one of the 2023 Ghana Integrated Business Establishment Survey (IBES I) which slated to commence in August and conclude by December is an economic census that will enumerate all businesses (economic units that do legal activities, whether for profit or not) across all sectors of the Ghanaian economy.

This first phase precedes the second which will involve a survey of selected
businesses.

The 2023 IBES will be the fourth, following surveys of the industry sector in 1987 and 2023 and an economic census in 2013 that included all sectors but excluded businesses within structures.

The 2023 IBES will include all businesses.

The implementation of the 2023 IBES includes several new features to improve the accuracy, quality, and timeliness of the data collection process and the relevance of  the statistics generated for decision-making, policy, and planning

These include an expanded scope to include establishments under sheds (structures without enclosure establishments in temporal fixed locations but in structures, businesses in open spaces but fixed locations, mobile businesses, and virtual businesses.

Additional modules in the questionnaire focus on digital finance and environmental responsiveness.

Targeted instruments for different types of businesses.

Automation of data collection and analysis procedures as well as linking of business and population registers

Linking of business registers with other MDA databases and  collection of GPS coordinates

The IBES questionnaire will collect detailed information on the characteristics of all businesses from the underlisted modules:

a. Contact information of establishment.

b. Identification of green and conventional firms

c. Head office information

d. Digital finance

e. Principal activity and sub-sectors

f. Unique identity of establishment

g. Employment data

h. Turnover/revenue

i. Establishment records

By Edzorna Francis Mensah