Ghana Statistical Service to Embark Upon Trial Census

The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) will begin a multi-staged trial census from the 26th of May, 2019. The 2nd of June, 2019, will be the trial census night as part of the preparations for the 2020 population and housing census.
The selected districts for the trial census are Dormaa West District (Bono Region) and Bunkpurugu District (North East Region). Also selected for the trial census are AshieduKeteke, Ledzokuku, OsuKlottey, Ayawaso West and Okaikoi submetros; all in the Greater Accra Region.
According to the service signed by Professor Samuel Anim, the government statistician said the conduct of the census is in accord with the Statistical Service Law, 1985 (PNDCL 135). This law authorizes the government statistician to conduct statistical surveys and census in Ghana.
The trial census is also in line with the United Nations’ commendations guiding the conduct of population and housing censuses worldwide.
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According to the report, the Ghana Statistical Service would adopt the use of electronic data collection with other geo-spatial technologies. This has been endorsed by the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) for the 2020 round of population and housing censuses.
Subsequently, the trial phase has been put into several stages, with each stage testing a specifically different process.
The population and housing census is an important national exercise that takes count of each Ghana’s residents. It details Ghana at the time of the census. It also creates other important demographic details about every individual in the country.
In respect of this, the 2020 population and housing census will deliver the current population of Ghana by age, sex, educational level, marital status, literacy, educational attainment, occupation, type of economic activity, and geographic area of residence.
The census will also cover access to social amenities such as water, health care, educational infrastructure and housing conditions.
“The information collected will be for district, regional and national governance. It will also help in decision-making. Furthermore, it will be used by media, academia, research institutions and international organizations as the basis for informed decision making”, the statement said.
Commencing on the 26th of May, 2019; a week before the trial census night, census officials from GSS appropriately identified will commence visiting the communities that have been chosen for the trial census. This will help them recognize and number houses and other structures which precede the enumeration of the households after the census night.
This is to safeguard that there is complete coverage of all households in the selected areas during the trial census.
The statement implored all persons residing within the chosen communities to collaborate with the census officials in order to guarantee a successful trial census.
“This is to say that persons living only within the designated areas will be enumerated in the trial census”, it added.