Bia(W/R), Aug. 6, GNA - Mr. Kofi Agyeman-Duah, National Census Coordinator said the 2010 National Population and Housing Census was not for monitoring but to help the country assess the housing and infrastructural needs of the respective districts of the country. He said it would also help researchers, statisticians, investors, mortality and morbidity rates and for poverty analysis. Mr. Agyeman-Duah said these at the inauguration of a 12-member district census implementation committee at Bia in the Western Region. He said the country needs the population and housing census to ascertain the real state of the country's population, standards of living, sleeping space and district boundaries to meet the basic needs of the citizenry.

Mr. Agyeman-Dua said committee will embark on census publicity and education, recruitment and training of field personnel and supervision among others.

Mr. Opoku Manu Asare, National Census Director said the pending census will enhance knowledge relating to housing conditions in Ghana for future planning, and it would include all persons living within the borders of Ghana including infants, children, sick and the insane. Mr. Asare said apart from embassies, kiosks, schools, stores, containers lorry parks and markets will be covered to avoid omission and double counting of both persons and houses. He hinted that the census will focus on access to Information Communication and Technology (ICT), agriculture, disability, educational, economic, demographic, social and housing characteristics. 6 Aug. 09