THE RELEVANCE OF DATA LITERACY TO THE ECONOMY OF GHANA PREAMBLE This article is aimed at encouraging the Government of Ghana to promote and strengthen Data Literacy in Ghana. The article is one of the assignments which are to be submitted by participants of the Course “Data for better lives - A new social contract.” The Course is based on the World Bank’s World Development Report 2021. The “Report calls for new social contract to transform how data can be used to improve people's lives.” The Report points out a “contract that will enhance our ability to use and the re-use data to create more economic and social value.” The social contract is expected to “foster people's trust in data by guarding against misuse.” INTRODUCTION Data and Information are terms that fall within the purview of Information & Communication Technology (ICT). Data are simply facts and/or figures. Thus when data are processed, interpreted, organized, structured or presented so as to make them meaningful or useful, they are called information. In effect, data is raw, unorganized facts that need to be processed. On the other hand, when data is processed, organized, structured or presented in a given context so as to make it useful, it is called information. Sometimes, people use the two terms data and information interchangeably. This is because information from a data source can be used as input data to be processed into information. The creation of data content has been with mankind since historic times. The use of letters, essays, newspapers, content on modern social media are cases in point. The use of data to make the lives of people better in a new social contract is quite interesting. IMPORTANCE OF DATA Data has become so powerful that in modern media, it is often compared to oil. Data powers the new economy in the same way that the oil powers the traditional economy. Unlike oil which is an exhaustive resource, data is an inexhaustible resource. This means that data “can be used and reused again and again without diminishing the amount available for others to use.” When data is created, it can be processed then stored and then it may be shared, analyzed and preserved. Secondary users of data may generate even more economic value than the original primary use of it. ROLE OF DATA IN DEVELOPMENT Today, we are in a digital revolution. Without data literacy, one can hardly be fit for the work of the future. Research findings have revealed that the use of data as a resource has many benefits & opportunities for economies and individuals. Some of these benefits include: 1. Businesses are increasingly reaping tremendous value from data. 2. Data is used as an input in data driven decision-making. 3. It can spur innovation and reduce transaction costs, ultimately boosting productivity and growth. 4. The use of data in the production process of firms may help to actually tilt the level playing field towards underserved populations by reducing fragmentation in markets. 5. Repurposing and combining different data sources are opening doors to development impacts on economies. 6. The use of data is resulting in economic development, increasing productivity & employment for some countries. THE SCENARIO IN GHANA Ghana is a country which is situated along the coast of Wet Africa. The country is blessed with many precious minerals like gold, diamond, manganese and bauxite, just to mention a few. The country is predominantly agriculture. However, the output from agriculture not much. The main cash crops are cocoa and coffee which are largely exported in their raw form. The farmers are mainly the old people as the farming is not attractive to the youth. A major problem in the country is unemployment especially among the youth. Many University graduates stay in their parents for 3 to 4 years without jobs. A structured training in Data Literacy can provide a panacea to this problem of unemployment. For example, some of the reserved army of unemployed active population can look for jobs in other countries. BARRIERS OR LIMITATIONS OR CHALLENGES The following possible limitations have been identified and may pose as barriers to the use of data. 1. Lack of training personnel for data collection & analysis. 2. Lack of funding of data collection & analysis. 3. Inequitable data sharing. 4. Lack of integration of private intent data and public intent data. 5. Limitations connected to a) data coverage and representativeness b) potential data profiling and discrimination c) data transparency and potential for manipulation. SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS TO THE BARRIERS OR LIMITATIONS OR CHALLENGES 1. Personnel with requisite abilities should be trained in skills in ICT & Geographic information systems. 2. The Government should partner with the private sector for funding data production. 3. There should be equitable & non-discrimination in sharing data. 4. There should be proper integration of private intent data and public intent data. 5. Policymakers should minimize the risks for the concentration of economic power, inequality and protection of rights of individuals. 6. The Government should have a policy to select a sizeable number of youth from each region, train them in a Trainer of Trainers ITC Course to start training other people in all the Regions. 7. Ghana can overcome data governance challenges, by entering international cooperation such as bilateral cooperation, regional collaboration or global or multilateral initiatives. CONCLUSION The Government should generate the interest in Data Literacy in Senior Leadership in the political, civil, public as well as the private sector. These leaders would then be the drivers & provide the direction to make sure the Data Literacy programme succeeds. The Government should provide the enabling environment for entrepreneurship. The Government should encourage the export of data literates.