Accra Technical University (ATU), in collaboration with the AFOS Foundation, has commenced a digital capacity training programme for staff of the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS).

The nine-week training programme for 230 staff members of GSS is designed to equip them with skills in digital knowledge to improve service delivery.

They would be trained in Excel, hypothesis testing, regression analysis, data visualization with Power BI, and databases.

Professor Samuel Nii Odai, the Vice-Chancellor of ATU, said the initiative was part of the ongoing partnership between the University and the AFOS Foundation for Entrepreneurial Development Cooperation, supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development within the ” Decent Work for a Just Transition,” via sequa gGmbH.

The partnership, the Vice-Chancellor said, was aimed at improving digital capacity in data science and business intelligence among students and other professionals for better outcomes.

“ATU is on a mission to advance technical knowledge by facilitating a favourable atmosphere for applied research and competence-based training that is industry-driven,” he said.

He said the training would provide participants with practical knowledge in the digital space to have the competitive urge in their field of employment.

Prof Odai said the training affirmed the University’s determination to scale up the programme and serve the technical and academic resources to its communities as stipulated in its strategic plan, pillar three- Enhancing University- Community Engagement.

The partnership led to the establishment of ICT Flexible on the ATU Campus in December 2021 to provide an in-demand and career-oriented IT training programme for ATU students, lecturers, and the public.

Prof Samuel Annim, the Government Statistician, said the partnership was anchored on the Service’s philosophy of change, automation and novelty for its growth.

He said the common consumer of the works of academia and public institutions was to serve the needs of policymakers in the country.

The Government Statistician called for the need for institutions and organizations to harness the microdata of the GSS for sustainable development.

He called on industry and academic collaboration to strengthen teachings on methodologies used to produce statistical data, publish journals on public policies, and engage in sabbatical engagement to transfer knowledge for sustained transformation.

Ms Hanna Schlingmann, Project Manager, AFOS Foundation Ghana, said the training was expected to upgrade the skills of participants and keep them abreast of new developments to meet the needs of stakeholders.

Mr Marvin Lomo, Data Science Academy Lead, German Institute of Business and Technology, expressed commitment to ensuring that participants were taken through hands-on techniques to enhance the effective delivery of output.