Accra (Greater Accra) 1st June ?99

Daasebre (Dr.) Oti Boateng, Government Statistician, on Monday announced that a reliable and efficient national population and housing census would be held next year.

To this end, a training programme for enumerators would start from June 21 to the end of July, this year, to prepare them for a trial census between August and September.

He could not give a firm date for the actual census but only said the determination of a date for such an exercise, is the constitutional prerogative of the President and the government.

He, however, explained that population census is normally held around March.

Daasebre Oti Boateng, who is also the Omanhene of New Juaben Traditional Area, was presenting a paper on, "Population census: policy implications for 'Vision 2020'", at the ninth "Speaker's Breakfast Forum", in Accra.

He said the trial census would enable the Statistical Service to estimate the time to canvass the households and to test processing procedures.

The Government Statistician said by September, the Service should be able to estimate when to finish the processing of the whole data collected.

Daasebre Oti Boateng explained that the fundamental purpose of the population census is to provide facts and figures essential to the formulation of government policy, planning and administration.

He said since 1891, nine censuses have been conducted in the country, with three in post-independence Ghana 1960, 1970 and 1984.

He said the 2000 census would provide essential information for assessing the first phase of the medium-term development programme (MTDP) under Vision 2020.

The programme focuses on human development, including poverty reduction, human resource management, increased opportunities for stable and remunerative employment, enhanced access to basic social needs and improved welfare of women and vulnerable groups in society.

Daasebre Oti Boateng suggested that after the 2000 census others should be held in 2010 and 2020.

The Government Statistician said censuses are normally conducted every 10 years.

He explained that the 2000 and 2010 censuses would facilitate a review of the policies for the accelerated growth and sustainable development envisaged in Vision 2020, while the 2020 census would provide opportunity for evaluating the success of Vision 2020.

Dr George Apenteng, Executive Director of the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), noted that human resources are the key component in the developmental process of any nation.

"In fact, in our deliberations as policy-makers in our various capacities, we can never ignore the human resource factor".

He said the human resource factor is acknowledged in Vision 2020 document, which places human development first on the list of five major development themes for the country.

He named the others as economic growth, rural development, urban development and an enabling environment.

Dr. Apenteng said Ghana has been internationally acclaimed for her economic performance, especially on the macro-economic indicators, adding that much has been and is being done to create an enabling environment for the private sector to be the engine of growth, supported by the public sector.

He said he wondered whether in view of its rapid increase in population the country's economic output is enough to meet the challenges of the rapid growth.

He also questioned whether a population census would clarify the position and help put "us all on track to the achievement of the aims of Vision 2020".

Mr. Justice Daniel Francis Annan, Speaker, explained that the forum has been instituted to give a boost to Parliament's expanded outreach programme.

It is aimed at affording members of the public the opportunity to inquire into the work of the Legislature, criticise it where necessary and put forth constructive suggestions for consideration.

The forum brings together experts, stakeholders and opinion leaders from various sectors to brainstorm on matters of national importance.

It does not only seek to identify problems, but more importantly, discuss how such problems could be solved collectively.

Mr Justice Annan said population census is undoubtedly, an important factor in a nation's development.

He said for effective planning, every sector of a nation's economy, needs to know how many people there are in a country and how many there would be in say, five, ten or twenty years.

The Speaker underscored his appreciation for the continued sponsorship of the forum by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), through the Institute of Economic Affairs.

Before presenting his paper, Daasebre Oti Boateng donated three copies of "Ghana Demographic and Health Service", a publication by the Statistical Service, to the Speaker.