The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has said no tribe will be left out in the 2021 Population and Housing Census expected to commence on June 27, 2021.
Some minority groups have raised concerns about the upcoming exercise, alleging discrimination in the way the questionnaires have been crafted.
For instance, Fulanis in Ghana complained that their tribe had been captured under the ‘other tribes’ section of the questionnaire instead of being given prominence.
While addressing the chiefs and people of the North East Region on Tuesday, June 22, 2021, as part of his tour of the region, President Akufo-Addo assured that no one will be discriminated against.
“I say everybody and I mean everybody will be counted without discrimination. Whatever your tribe and ethnicity, so long as you are here on June 27, 2021, census night, get counted.”
The President had reiterated the need for all Ghanaians to get involved in the exercise saying “We hope to use the reliable data obtained to plan and develop mother Ghana more effectively”.
We’ve resolved ethnic concerns raised so far – GSS
The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) had said all concerns surrounding the exercise have been addressed.
In an interview with Citi News, the Head of the Census Methodology at the Ghana Statistical Service, Joseph Owusu Kagya, disclosed that the Service met with stakeholders of the ethnic groups raising concerns and resolved their concerns.
“In all our censuses and trial censuses, we did not have difficulty getting to know the Ewes in terms of self-identification. That is why we have kept them as one group, but if you go to an ethnic group like Akan, we have settled the initial issues they raised. The Fulani issues too were about misclassification, and we have also solved their issues as well,” he added.
About 2021 census
The 2021 population and housing census will commence on June 27, 2021.
The exercise, which will run till July 11, 2021, is meant to generate data that will be used in decision-making and planning for the development of the country and its citizens.
Listing of structures
Currently, the Ghana Statistical Service is numbering various structures nationwide.
According to GSS, it has been able to number over 70% of the estimated 11 million structures in the country.
