Family heads’ presence vital for successful census - Bono Regional Statistician

Family heads and persons with in-depth knowledge about their households are people needed to give information about individuals living in the houses, Mr Amatus Nobabumah, the Bono Regional Statistician, has said.

He explained the National Population and Housing Census (MPHCs) “is not just about counting structures and the people, but a comprehensive interview about households, so, family heads’ availability is very crucial to assist the census officials for accurate information for authentic data for national development planning.”

Mr Nobabumah was speaking in an interview with the media on Sunday after a tour of the Sunyani and Sunyani West Municipalities to ascertain the commencement of the census night, which was the reference point of the enumeration exercise.

He said family heads and responsible individuals with knowledge about everybody within a household must be prepared to give out information such as name, age, religious background, employment and disability conditions.

The census officials would also inquire about issues, including Information and Communication Technology (ICT) usage, sanitation (waste disposal), sources of potable drinking water and fertility of women of a household, Mr Nobabumah added.

Activities of the census night, which is the reference point of the NPHCs exercise, began with the sensitisation of people in the two Municipalities and all parts of the country.

It was to create the awareness that the enumeration begins from midnight of Monday, June 28 to Sunday, July 11, 2021.

Mr Nobabumah explained the midnight float with firecrackers on the principal streets of Sunyani and Sunyani West Municipalities alongside blowing of sirens by the Ghana National Fire Service and information centres’ announcements as part of the census night was very significant.

It was not only to remind the public about the exercise’s commencement but also to serve as an imprint in the minds of the people for those who would be available by the next census in a decade’s time to remember that the census night was the official ceremony to start the exercise.