The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) is advocating allocation of more resources for the development of Accra, the nation’s capital, and Kumasi, capital of the Ashaniti Region, in view of the over-populated nature of the two major cities in the country.
The Head of Production Unit at the Ghana Statistical Service, Godwin Gyebi, made the call yesterday, citing the provisional results from the 2021 Population and Housing Census (PHC).
He added that the development of the two cities cannot, however, be done to the detriment of others in view of the fact that the ultimate goal is to achieve a balanced development for the whole country.
The Greater Accra and Ashanti regions, per the provisional results from the 2012 PHC, are the two most populous regions of the country, each having a population of more than 5.4 million, out of the nation’s current population of 30.8 million.
Speaking on Atinka TV’s morning show, Mr Gyebi recommended the allocation of more resources to the Greater Accra and Ashanti regions because of how “densely populated” the two regions are.
“Accra is densely populated, and it puts pressure on the resources in Accra. There are a lot of people in Accra and in Kumasi and so resources must go there because if you do not send them there, there will be problems,” he said.
Mr Gyebi cited good roads, schools, markets, electricity and water as some of the infrastructure and amenities that must be expanded in these regions.
The country’s population is now 30.8 million, according to the 2021 PHC provisional results released by the Ghana Statistical Service on Wednesday.
Declining growth
According to the report on the census, Ghana’s population has grown almost fivefold since the first post-independence census was conducted in 1960.
Although the latest figures indicate the population is growing, the growth is at a declining rate, compared with previous censuses.
“The population has increased by 6.1 million from the 24.7 million recorded in 2010, constituting an annual intercensal growth rate of 2.1%. This rate is less than what was observed in the previous intercensal period (2000 – 2010: 2.5%) and is the lowest observed since independence. At this rate, the country‘s population will double within 33 years. And by 2050, the population of Ghana would be over 50 million,” the report pointed out.
Still more females
It added that regional sex ratios in the 2021 PHC range from 91 males for every 100 females in the Volta Region to 105 males to every 100 females in the Western North Region.
The report noted these rates are consistent with the findings from the 2010 Census where the then Volta Region had the lowest sex ratio of 89, with the then Western Region recording the highest of 104.
The release also disclosed that females make up a greater proportion of the population in the 2021 PHC as had been the trend for the past four censuses.
“The sex ratio of 97 males for 100 females in 2021 represented a slight increase over the sex ratio of 95 recorded in 2010. The 1960 census is the only post-independence census which recorded more males than females (102 males to 100 females). Since then, sex ratios have declined until the uptick observed in 2021,” the release explained.
This, the report clarified, show that females outnumber males in 10 out of the 16 regions.
Regional positions
The report revealed that Eastern Region is the 3rd most populous region. It is followed by Central Region as the fourth most populous region following the splitting of the former Western, Brong-Ahafo and Northern regions who were all more populous than Central Region in 2010.
The four most populous regions make up over half (54 percent) of the total population.
The Ahafo Region is the least populous region, taking the place of the Upper West, which had been the least populous in all the previous post-independence censuses. The Savannah and North East Regions are the second and third least populous regions respectively.
Northern Region observed the largest change in population, with an almost 50 percent increase over its population in 2010.
“The two other regions that made up the then Northern Region in 2010, North East and Savannah, had the second and third largest intercensal increases (41.7% and 38.4%) respectively. The next highest change recorded was in Greater Accra with an addition of 35.8%,” it said.
The Eastern Region, followed by the Volta Region, recorded the lowest intercensal change, an addition of 10.8 percent and 11.4 percent respectively to their populations.
