Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia during the launch of the 100-day countdown to the census night on Friday, March 19, 2021, announced that the 2021 Population and Housing Census is scheduled to commence on June 27, 2021.
The census was initially scheduled to take place in 2020 but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it had to be shifted to this year.
The Population Census 2021, with the slogan, “You Count, Get Counted,” will be the first fully digital census. It will go a long way to push the government’s digitalization agenda and capture more accurately, demographic and socio-economic data of the population that will inform government’s policy formulation.
“The Statistical Service will this year, conduct its first digital population and housing census in line with this digitalization agenda. This is a historic moment. I’m highly impressed that the GSS has incorporated the ICT module in the census to ascertain the level of digital application and access in the country. Indeed, the census will provide comprehensive data on ICT access and usage in the country to enhance development in the sector,” said Bawumia.
Population census 2021- What Ghanaians should expect
Housing and Population Census captures more than just a headcount, it contains a much deeper dimension. That being said, the 75000 census officials will capture the following information from Ghanaians and our communities.
• Marital status of household
• Age dynamics
• Internet facility usage
• Living conditions
• Occupancy rate
• Economic status
• The educational level of household
• Income levels
• Employment information
• Birth and death information
• Migration status
• Gender
• Disability information
• Language
• Utility information such as water supply and electricity
• Sanitation such as toilet and bathing facilities
• Equipment’s used in the household such as air-conditioners, televisions sets, dishwashers, etc.
• Religion
• Pension, among others
“We are interested in the penetration in the rural areas, internet usage, ownership of ICT devices, usage of mobile phones for financial transactions, and how ICT may be changing lives and affecting livelihoods,” said Bawumia.
Benefits of the 2021 Population
The Ghana Statistical Service stated that the 2021 Population Census will provide the following benefits to individuals, businesses, communities and the nation as a whole.
Individuals
The 2021 Population and Housing will allow for easy identification of vulnerable individuals and households for government interventions
Businesses
Among others, poplation census 2021 will “assist the construction industry, institutions involved in housing finance, and manufacturers of housing fixtures and equipment to make realistic projections of the demand for housing and assess their activities within the overall housing programme.”
Communities
Ministries such as the Ministry of Works and Housing, the Town and Country Planning Department, the Local Government, and other stakeholders use the data to gain insight into the housing quality and deficit in communities and develop plans to solve the situation.
The Nation
• “It aids policymakers to make realistic development plans such as the provision of pipe-borne water, construction of roads, schools, hospitals, etc.
• Help to track the progress that has been made as a nation.”
To ensure the above benefits are realized from the 2021 population census, Government Statistician, Prof Samuel Annim, said 1,500 laptops have been acquired together with quality data monitors.
“For the first time, we’ve bought more than 1,500 laptops for the census. We’ve employed data quality monitors, and they’re going to review the data that is coming in, generate report, and share it with the field supervisors. In addition, the field supervisors will be expected to do re-interviews,” Samuel Annim said.
