UNECA, Addis Ababa 5-7 October 2011 Anthony Amuzu COMPILATION OF INTERNATIONAL MERCHANDISE TRADE STATISTICS: GHANA’S EXPERIENCE UNECA, Addis Ababa 5-7 October 2011 Anthony Amuzu

Outline of presentation Mandate of the External Trade Statistics Section Sources of data Data processing Data dissemination Challenges

Mandate of the ETS The External Statistics Section mandated to: Maintain and update the External Trade Statistics database Compile and review external trade statistics on a monthly basis Release external trade statistics quarterly Respond to data requests on external trade statistics and identify data gaps Update GSS website with external trade statistics quarterly Prepare an annual compendium of external trade statistics

Sources of data The main source of data is the Ghana Customs and Preventive Service (CEPS) now Customs Division of Ghana Revenue Authority Tema Oil Refinery (refinery for crude oil) Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) Volta River Authority (VRA) for the import and export of electrical energy

Data processing Data is downloaded from the Ghana Customs Management System (GCMS) through the Ghana Customs Management System (GCNet) Data is saved in dbf format an imported into excel Data field headings are defined in accordance with headings in Eurotrace

Data processing (cont’d) Data is imported into Eurotrace Errors are generated in Microsoft Access and imported into Excel for re-processing

Data generation Data is generated using Comext standalone Data is generated by HS, BEC and SITC according to the needs of the client

Dissemination Dissemination is through a quarterly digest of External Trade Statistics publication This is to be made available on the GSS website alongside the quarterly GDP

Challenges The main challenges are instability of the internet connection to the Ghana Community Network System (GCNet) Delays in the obtaining data on crude oil imports Misclassification of commodities Weights and which do not match customs values

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