Professor Samuel Annim, head of Ghana Statistical Service
The Ghana Statistical Service has cited the pending compilation of a new voters’ register as one of the reasons for the postponement of the 2020 population and housing census.
The Government Statistician, Professor Samuel Annim, explained that the census will require a period of reduced mobility of persons, hence the need to allow the Electoral Commission (EC) to complete its exercise.
The EC has announced a tentative date of between April and May to compile a new voters’ register amidst stiff opposition by some political parties and civil society groups.
Professor Annim believes the census period, spanning June to July, should also help the EC have access to some data to be captured which will be relevant for a complete voters’ register for the 2020 general elections.
“From our perspective, when we are doing the enumeration, we exclude activities within the diplomatic nations. And from our operational perspective, we’ve allowed for a two-week gap for the end of the voter registration exercise and the start of the lifting of structures.
And, indeed, with the window for the lifting of structures, because we’re not going to enumerate persons, we also consider that as a window to ensure that the voter registration exercise will not adversely impact on the census activity,” he said
“From the data merge point of view, definitely the two activities will have the two agencies sitting together to see how data from the census would inform the data that we need for our electoral processes,” he added.
Rescheduled to June 28
The Ghana Statistical Service has, for a while now, been going back and forth about the date for this year’s population and housing census.
However, in the most recent development, it announced June 28 as the new date to commence the national headcount.
According to the Service, processes, including the recruitment of field personnel and other persons required for the census, are underway ahead of the commencement.
