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The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) urges Ghanaians to allow enumerators to do their job, as the service laments that some households have openly refused to be counted.
The Service has, for the second time, extended the deadline for the Population and Housing Census from 2021 to Saturday, July 30, to allow enumerators to complete work in pending areas.
According to the chief statistician, Professor Samuel Kobina Annim, so far 95% of the expected households have been counted.
He notes, however, that the Greater Accra region is still lagging behind as around 15 percent of affected households have yet to be counted.
“According to the data we received yesterday, 95% of the expected households were all counted, and we saw 15 of the 16 regions cross the 91% threshold; it is only the Greater Accra region that is less than 90 percent. So currently 85 percent of the expected work has been completed in the Greater Accra region, so we are targeting the 15 percent outstanding for the rest of the month.
“Various reasons led to the expansion of the exercise, especially in areas like Ayawaso West and Ledzokuku-Krowor Municipality, people came out to say openly that they did not want to participate in the exercise, but still once that’s where we have to do a lot more education because people don’t see the ingenuity of census data, ”he said.
The country is bracing for what experts describe as a possible third wave of the coronavirus pandemic; there have been concerns about the safety of enumerators who happen to be in direct contact with different sections of the population.
Chief statistician Professor Samuel Kobina Annim, speaking on Joy News’ AM Show, assured that a number of them had been vaccinated.
“Through the Ghana Health Service, an arrangement has been made for all of our investigators to be vaccinated; before that we were running out of time, but indeed they had this offer available to them so those of them who really wanted to go, did.
“Some of them said they weren’t sure if they wanted to take it and where we were with the census, we didn’t want to disrupt the process by forcing people to say that if you don’t take it , you would not be part.
“In addition, we provided the necessary PPE to this extent, we were sure that our investigators were safe and, for that matter, the respondents as well.
Focusing on their goal is to make sure everyone is counted. Professor Samuel Kobina Annim said they have reserved certain areas of the capital where they may need to extend the count beyond July 31.
“There are some areas, especially in Ga West and Ga North, that we may need to give a few weeks beyond July 30, to make sure everyone is counted,” he said.
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