Access condition
The Ghana Statistical Service as a public institution has the obligation to promote data dissemination to facilitate national development. Making data available will enable students and the academia to conduct research works, assist investors to take business decision, help the individual to evaluate and take appropriate decisions. It will also assist the government to formulate appropriate policies and programmes to facilitate national development. GSS' policy framework provides access to data through:
Public use files
These categories of datasets are accessible by all without any payment. They are available on-line to all interested users, for research and statistical purposes only.
Licensed datasets
These categories of datasets are accessible under certain conditions. Thus, prospective client/data users may access any data based on certain conditions set by the GSS.
Datasets only accessible on location
We consider this category as a data enclave where datasets are only accessible at GSS head office and prospective data users and researchers have to physically be available at GSS head office for further discussions before data are released. Thus, data enclave would not be linked to the outside world through our website or other medium.
The following terms and conditions apply:
Before being granted access to the dataset, all users have to formally agree:
1. To make no copies of any files or portions of files for which access has been granted, except those authorized by GSS.
2. Not to use any technique in an attempt to identify any person, establishment, or sampling unit.
3. To hold in strictest confidence, the identification of any establishment or individual that may be inadvertently revealed in any document or discussion, or analysis. Such inadvertent identification revealed in her/his analysis will be immediately brought to the attention of the GSS.
4. The data and other materials will not be redistributed or sold to other individuals, institutions, or organizations without the written agreement of GSS.
5. The data will be used for statistical and scientific research purposes only.
6. The data will be used solely for reporting of aggregated information, and not for investigation of specific individuals or organizations.
7. No attempt will be made to identify respondents, and no use will be made of the identity of any person or establishment discovered inadvertently. Any such discovery would immediately be reported to the GSS.
8. No attempt will be made to produce links among datasets provided by the GSS with other datasets that could identify individuals or organizations.
9. Any books, articles, conference papers, thesis, dissertations, reports, or other publications that employ data obtained from the GSS would cite the source of data in accordance with the citation statement provided with the dataset.
10. An electronic copy of all reports and publications based on the requested data will be sent to the GSS.
Confidentiality
Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) requires all users to keep information and data strictly confidential. In this regard, before being granted access to datasets, all users have to formally agree to observe the following:
1. Not to make copies of any files or portions of files to which access has been granted except with the authorization by GSS.
2. Not to willfully identify any individual or household or establishment in the dataset.
3. To hold in strictest confidence, the identity of any individual or household or establishment that may be inadvertently revealed in any documents or discussion, or analysis. Such unintended identification revealed should be immediately brought to the attention of GSS.
4. Data obtained from GSS are protected by copyright law and therefore not for redistribution or sale.
5. Prospective clients or data users may indicate in an affidavit confidentiality of data they access.