Board Chair for the Ghana Statistical Service, Dr Grace Bediako, has disclosed that the population and housing census provisional data released will stimulate the digitization drive in the country.

Speaking at the ongoing event on the provisional release of the census data, she stated that the electronic platforms used in analysing and processing the data and figures churned out has yielded the desired results the Service sought.

Dr Bediako commended participants present at the unveiling of the provisional results for their “support” to the census. She expressed GSS will continue to count on the goodwill of participants in the exercise to contribute towards the effective dissemination of the census.

“Releasing provisional results today 22^nd September, 2021, forty-four days after show that indeed, the electronic data collection in the 2021 population and housing census in Ghana has yielded the anticipated benefits. Yet, this is only the beginning of what we have gained from this bold step. Digitizing all the cartographic maps, the use of computer assisted personal interview and capturing location data through GPS coordinates, means that the spatial representation of the data are settlement patterns…

“The census is one of many initiatives that will further the digitization agenda of the country”.
Dr Grace Bediako

Similarly, she entreated various stakeholders to “the use of the data for evidence-based decision making” processes.

“Your success to the census has come in various forms and have all gone towards us making these great strides and the impressive presentation of results… We are extremely grateful for all the invaluable support we have received at each and every stage of the census exercise, in particular your being a faithful respondent. Let me take this opportunity to express on behalf of the board and management of the Ghana Statistical Service our sincere gratitude to all…”
Dr Grace Bediako

Government commends GSS on completion of provisional results

On his part, Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, congratulated GSS on “successfully” completing the provisional result for the census.

He explained that the government has succeeded in executing this exercise through “a very robust electronic backbone”. The information minister praised GSS for conducting the “first digital census” despite the impact of the pandemic which almost grounded the exercise.

“But you, despite [the pandemic], were able to brave the odds and carry this through. Government has not only been a supporter of the exercise but government is also a potential user of the data that you’re about to put out, starting with the provisional results from today.

“Like many other potential users, we are pleased that you’ve come this far and that you’re going to provide us with data which we use primarily for policy planning and government programs. We encourage all other stakeholders including development partners and private sector operators to pay attention to the various potential users of this census data”.
Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah

Among the other things government is looking to achieve with the data from the census, Mr Nkrumah highlighted on government’s plans to review the coordinated program of social and economic policies.

“… that was first rolled out first in 2017 and which needs to be reviewed for the 2022 [and] 2026 period. Secondly, the information services department seeks to work with the Ghana Statistical Service using this data as a direction tool on sampling etc.”
Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah