Population/Housing Census to cost 30 billion cedis

Accra, June 17, GNA - The 2000 Population and Housing Census is estimated to cost 30 billion cedis and would be held between March and April next year.

Daasebre Dr Oti Boateng, Government Statistician, told a news conference in Accra on Thursday that the cost would be met from a government input of 76.6 per cent and a donor component of 23.4 per cent.

Mr Kwame Peprah, Minister of Finance, announced the holding of the census when he presented this year's budget to Parliament, last March.

Dr Oti Boateng said the trial census, which begins on the night of July 11, would give the service a basis to compute the exact amount that the census would cost.

He explained that, even though, the census have been tentatively fixed for between March-April, the President, who is vested with that prerogative, would determine the actual dates.

"Field work will begin next year, but the period for the census by law is given by the President on the advice of the technical staff at the Statistical Service".

He said there are three stages in the conduct of census.

These are pre-enumeration, enumeration and post enumeration periods. "All these processes including other well laid out procedures will be followed to ensure an efficient population and housing, census for Ghana".

Nine censuses have been conducted in Ghana since 1891. Three of these have been in the post independence era, 1960,1970 and 1984.

Dr Oti Boateng said a population and housing census is important since it would provide facts essential to governmental policy-making, planning and administration.

Dr Oti Boateng said information on the size, distribution and characteristics of a country's population, is essential in describing and assessing its economic, social and demographic circumstance.

The Government Statistician said one of the basic administrative uses of census data is the demarcation of constituencies and the allocation of representation on government bodies.

"It also provides indispensable data for scientific analysis and appraisal of the composition, distribution and prospective growth of the population", as well as " for the development of bench-mark housing statistics and formulation of housing policy and programmes".

Dr Oti Boateng said the population and housing censuses are being put together because they closely related.

On the problems associated with the political demarcation of some districts, Dr Oti Boateng said, "we will not be involved with any legalities of demarcation going on in some of the districts.

"Though they are important determinants, we are ensuring that the census is done according to statistical boundaries.

We will not dabble in those problems".

He said, the Service has decided to go ahead with the census since "if we decide to wait till these demarcation problems are solved, there will be no census in Ghana".

He said everybody in the country, including foreigners would be counted, adding that the upcoming census is a de jure type, in which the number of foreigners must be known for fertility and demographic reasons.