Dr. Grace Bediako, the Board Chairperson of the Ghana Statistical Service, has called on planners and developers within the various Assemblies to use statistical data to solicit development interventions from individuals and organisations for the development of the local area. She said statistics required planners to use the information available not only to see how well they were doing, but to use the information to promote local specific programmes, and argue for more support. Dr. Bediako said: 'NGOs are looking for a niche and if you can use the various dimensions of information given…then you can go to these instructions for help.' She was speaking at the second day of the Multidimensional Poverty Index and StatsBank dissemination workshop by the Ghana Statistical Service for planners, Coordinating Directors, statisticians and Chief Executives of the Assemblies in the Western Region. The workshop also highlighted the functionality of the StatsBank-a portal with detailed research materials that could b e accessed by the Assemblies for development planning purposes. The Board Chairperson encouraged the participants to work well for the development of the Assemblies. Mr. Peter Mwinlaaru, Data Scientist with the Ghana Statistical Service, who took the participants through the portal said, information on research findings had been simplified to aid the work of users. He said, the participants would have the opportunity to experiment and later transfer the knowledge to policy makers in the districts for collective usage. Mr. Isaac Aggrey, Wassa East Statistician was grateful to the GSS for the education and said the information acquired would go a long way to improve their works at the various districts. Source: Ghana News Agency