The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has concluded the last phase of training for Master Trainers for the 2021 Population and Housing Census (PHC). This in-person training workshop which started on Wednesday 9th December follows a series of virtual and in-person engagements with prospective Master Trainers to prepare them to train National Trainers early next year.
The conduct of the Census is in accordance with the objectives of Ghana Statistical Service to provide quality, relevant, accurate and timely statistical information for the purpose of national development as stipulated in Clause 3 of the Statistical Service Act, 2019 (Act 1003) and oversight of capacity building in the statistical ecosystem.
In his keynote address, Professor Samuel Kobina Annim, Government Statistician and Chief Census Officer, reminded trainees of the enormity of the task ahead, saying, the 2021 Population and Housing Census aims to count a projected population of over 31 million people during a 14-day period. He added that the project also aims to count everyone once, at the right time, and at the right place.
Prof. Annim, thus urged trainees to not only think of their role as only delivering training content in the classroom but to think more broadly about contributing in diverse ways to the Census and to have the 3 Ps: Preparedness, Passion, and the Psychological orientation – needed to support the census successfully.
Priority areas for to focus on, he told the trainers, include contextualizing training to suit different parts of the country and stressing integrity and honesty at all levels of their engagement with other trainers and field officers.
Mr. Owusu Kagya, Head of Census Methodology, in his remarks to trainees encouraged them to give their best. He noted that in the past eight days, the training has built capacity of trainees and given them the tools to become effective trainers for the census. He reminded trainees that, Master Trainers had the mandate to teach, monitor, and provide guidance. He stressed that the country needs quality data, and the census is meant to provide quality data, hence, trainees were to do everything necessary to make that possible.
Professor Kofi Awusabo-Asare, Co-Chair of the National Census Technical Advisory Committee, also expressed his gratitude to all present for their willingness to help the Census. He noted that during this advent period leading to the remembrance of the birth of Christ which is associated with censuses, an indication that censuses and their benefits have existed for centuries. Censuses are the source of reliable and good quality data for planning which form the basis for achieving national objectives. He ended by reminding trainees that getting good quality data depends on the quality of training.
Head of the National Census Secretariat, Mr. Emmanuel George Ossei welcomed participants to the event and introduced the dignitaries in attendance.
In attendance were the Acting Government Statistician (Operations) Mrs. Araba Forson; Chair of the National Census Technical Advisory Committee on Recruitment and Training, Professor Stephen Owusu Kwankye; Head of the Recruitment and Training for the 2021 PHC, Mrs Abena Osei-Akoto; Head of Publicity for the 2021 PHC, Mr. Francis Nyarkoh-Larbi, Chief and Deputy Chief Trainers for the 2021 PHC and Curriculum Reviewers for the 2021 PHC from the University of Ghana Regional Institute for Population Studies and the University of Cape Coast Department of Population and Health.
