The Provost of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Prof. Imoro Braimah has bemoaned the media’s over-concentration on the new voters register saga, neglecting the upcoming population census.
According to him, the population census is more crucial to Ghana’s development compared to the voters register.
This is because the population census covers all persons in the country while the voters register concentrates on only voters, which is just a fraction of the country’s population.
Prof Braimah made these comments at the 6th Annual Public Lectures by the Baraka Policy Institute in Accra
The first-ever population census in Ghana was conducted in 1891 when the nation was still under colonial rule. The process was later institutionalised by the UN to be conducted within a decade interval.
The last population census conducted in 2010 pegged Ghana’s population at 24 million. However, recent statistics put Ghana’s population around 39 million.
Although this year is a population census year, it appears the new voters’ register saga has overshadowed it.
This prompted the Baraka Policy Institute to focus this year’s Public Lecture on the upcoming National population census. Prof Imoro Braimah insisted that the census is more important than the voters register and called for more support from the media.
“The National Population census seeks to cover every human being within the borders of Ghana at the time of the exercise meanwhile the voters register only covers voters. Clearly the National population census is more comprehensive and that brings development to us”
A Deputy Government Statistician, David Kombat said the Statistical Service will share the questionnaire to be used with the public to facilitate the process.
Board Chairman of the Baraka Policy Institute, Naa Alhassan Andani urged Ghanaians to avail themselves to be counted during the exercise.
“Wherever you sit in Ghana, you must make it your responsibility to say to all your community to come out and be counted. We know the number of cattle, goat, sheep in our homes but we don’t know the number of people in our communities”
The National Population Census is expected to be conducted within 21 days in June this year (2020) for the provisional results to be announced later
STORY BY: NATHANIEL NARTEY.
