The IBGE Superintendency in the Federal District (SES/DF) hosted a technical visit last Thursday (9) and Friday (10) of a delegation from the Republic of Ghana, formed by parliamentarians, members of the Ghanaian embassy, ​​and members of the African country's statistical service. The meeting was aimed for closer understanding of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), its operation, data protection structure, and Brazil's experience in official censuses and surveys.

IBGE's Overview and Institutional Mission

Cimar Azeredo Pereira, advisor to the Presidency, participated in the meeting via videoconference and presented an overview of the institute, highlighting its mission and the role of official statistics in the consolidation of public policies.

"Regardless of the context, the IBGE has the role of promoting the exercise of citizenship, and to do so, we need access to statistics. The purpose of statistics is to provide an accurate portrait of Brazil," Cimar emphasized.

During his talk, the advisor also explained how the Institute ensures the confidentiality of information and works on personal data protection policies; he explained that data collection follows strict legal standards and is exclusively aimed at the production of official statistics.

The Superintendent of the SES/DF, Gabriel Antonaccio, welcomed the delegation. He thanked the visitors for their presence and made the local team available for clarification and experience sharing.

Soon afterwards, Marcelo Alessandro, coordinator of the 2022 Census in the Federal District, spoke about the census operation, showed the uniform used by the enumerators, and emphasized the importance of official identification during data collection.

"Wearing this uniform—our famous vest—is essential to avoid respondent refusal when the enumerator visits homes. When we introduce ourselves this way, people already know that we are IBGE employees."

After the presentations, there was a question-and-answer session. John Nathaniel Boateng, Deputy Director of the Ghana Data Management Department, inquired about how the IBGE handles private sector surveys and how the institution is funded. Cimar responded that the IBGE is a public agency funded by federal government funds, and that there is an ongoing effort with the National Congress to ensure the budgetary stability necessary for conducting research.

Cimar explained that the IBGE is a public agency maintained with resources from the federal government, and that continuous efforts are made with the National Congress to ensure the budgetary stability for conducting the surveys.

"The IBGE is a public agency, with revenues coming from the federal government. Therefore, it works with the National Congress to ensure there are no budget cuts and the institution will continue to carry out its activities. We are responsible only for official statistics, not for private surveys. Surveys on topics of public interest can sometimes be conducted in partnership with ministries, and thus, we have national surveys on key information that serves as the basis for the effective and transparent consolidation of public policies," he explained.

Positive outcome of the mission

At the end of the meeting, the First Vice-President of the Ghanaian Parliament, Bernard Ahiafor, praised the structure and clarity of the information presented, emphasizing that the visit successfully fulfilled their expectations. 

"After this presentation, I can say that we are a little behind in this process. As a Parliament Member in Ghana, I can say that you have given us many ideas, and when I return from our mission, we will review our laws on statistics, strengthening our system and making it more transparent. The purpose of our visit was certainly fulfilled. We are very grateful," he stated.

Finally, the SES/DF team presented the Ghanaians with institutional kits, which included bilingual IBGE publications, as a way of thanking them for the technical visit and strengthening cooperation between the nations. 

On Friday (10), part of the Ghanaian delegation returned to the IBGE Superintendency in the Federal District for another round of talks. This time, the group was received by the Director of Social Statistics and National Data Coordinator of the Ghana Statistical Service, Omar Seidu. The meeting focused on exchanging information on data management, statistical production, and institutional strengthening strategies, in direct contact with Superintendent Gabriel Antonaccio and his team.

The following representatives of the Ghanaian mission were present during the two-day technical visit: the Ambassador of the Republic of Ghana to Brazil, Nii Amasah Namoale; the First Vice-President of the Right Wing of the Parliament of Ghana, Bernard Ahiafor; the Deputy Director of the Data Management Department, John Nathaniel Boateng; the First Secretary of the Ghanaian Embassy, ​​Janet Amoah Mensah; and the Embassy Translator, Kofi-Patu Defor. 

Participating on behalf of the IBGE were Cimar Azeredo Pereira, Advisor to the Presidency; Antonio Caminada, from the International Relations Department; Gabriel Moreira Antonaccio, Superintendent of the Federal District's Department of Social Security (SES/DF); and Marcelo Alessandro Nunes, Coordinator of the 2022 Census in the Federal District. 

The Ghanaian mission's visit reinforced the role of the IBGE as an international benchmark in the production of official statistics and in the promotion of transparency and quality of public data—fundamental principles for strengthening democracy and developing evidence-based policies.

More about the misision

Ghana's mission to the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) aimed to understand how the Brazilian National Congress collaborates with the Institute to produce reliable statistics that support the formulation of public policies, laws, and legislative activities. The visit also sought to inform about best governance practices and the integration of statistical evidence into legislative work, in addition to promoting the exchange of experiences on the operations, confidentiality legislation, and transparency and data protection mechanisms employed by the IBGE in Brazil.