The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) organised a census seminar for stakeholders from research and academia on 11th February 2021.
The theme for the seminar was “Modernisation of data generation systems to increase data quality, timeliness and utilisation for decision-making: The Case of Ghana 2021 PHC,”
This seminar is a key part of the results advocacy strategy for the 2021 PHC. The aim of the results advocacy strategy is to engage with data users before data collection and not after data analyses as is usually the norm. The Census Seminar with research and academia is the first of several planned engagements of the census data producers with data users ahead of the data collection.
The mandate of the Ghana Statistical Service as the National Statistical Office is to produce relevant, quality, and timely data for the National Statistical System. To produce relevant data, it is important that the users of the data have the chance to share their views on what they want from the data.
The census is estimated to produce over 2 million disaggregated indicators to be used in more than a 100 ways to solve the nation’s development challenges.
The seminar featured presentations in the following three thematic sessions: use of geospatial resources and techniques to improve census and survey data collection, analysis, and dissemination; use of technology to transform census data analysis; and use of innovative methodologies to enhance census data dissemination. The presentations highlighted the benefits of conducting the census and the need for all stakeholders to support the conduct of a successful census.
The seminar which was chaired by Professor Emerita Takyiwaa Manuh featured an address by the Government Statistician, Professor Samuel Kobina Annim and presentations from the Chair of the National Technical Advisory Committee; UNFPA Chief Technical Advisor to the 2021 PHC and Curriculum Reviewers for the 2021 PHC,
There was also a walkthrough exhibit that displayed the innovative methodologies and outputs from the 2021 PHC implementation process including the computer assisted personal interviewing software to be used for data capture, products from census mapping work (such as static and interactive maps). The exhibit also featured the questionnaires to be used for the census and the training manual for field officers that outlines the census methodology and enumeration procedures.
There were also key informational materials developed for census publicity, education, and advocacy included the 100 uses of census brochure and copies of the quarterly census newsletter.