Bagbin charge MPs to help mobilize constituents for ongoing census

Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin says he will ensure Members of Parliament take an active part in mobilizing citizens for the ongoing population and housing census.

The 2021 Population and Housing Census (PHC) began across the country on Sunday, June 27. The exercise, which will run till July 11, 2021, is meant to generate data that will be used for decision-making and planning for the development of the nation and its citizens.

The Speaker contends that the census is an important national exercise that requires the involvement of all persons.

Speaking after taking part in the exercise, Alban Bagbin underscored the need for all to actively participate in the census, stating that all Ghanaians should endeavour to give accurate information to enumerators to help plan the housing stock of the country.

“The population and housing census is so critical to the survival, the quality of life, and the development of the country, and therefore I would like to take this opportunity to call on every person resident in Ghana to stand up and be counted. I want to urge everybody not to hide any information, but to bring out any information you have so that we can have adequate information to plan the housing stock of the country.”

“This exercise is not meant to exact any pain or extort any resources from any Ghanaian. It is just meant to be able to give us accurate information to be able to share the national cake so that every resident in Ghana will have a fair share of what we all produce as a country. I am going to get all Members of Parliament to move to their constituencies to support the education, sensitisation, and awareness creation of the importance of the census,” he added.

The census was initially set to begin on March 15, 2020, with the first two weeks expected to be used for listing, a process that comprises the zoning and coding of the number of houses and structures to be covered in the census.

However, it was rescheduled to June 28 , 2020, before being finally postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The slogan for the 2021 PHC is “you count, get counted”, with the GSS aiming for comprehensive coverage to ensure that no one is left behind.