The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) says it will spend GHS1.97 million for the first phase of its pilot population census which begins on 26 May 2019.

The trail census is expected to help the GSS test its instruments and tools for a full-blown population census next year.

Speaking about their preparation for the exercise, Mr Kwadwo Asante Mensah, Director of Administration and Census Coordinator told Class News’ Gemma Appiah in an exclusive interview that the enumerating exercise will begin on 2 June at selected regions and districts in the country.

According to Mr Mensah the service has the funds to conduct a successful trail census.

Mr Mensah said: “We’re going to have a trial census starting 26 May 2019 and so from 25 May, we’ll be doing what is called listing. We are listing the structures of the areas that we’ve selected to do the trial census in. For the trial census, we’ve taken a sample of the areas in Ghana to test our instruments and the tools that we’ll be using during the main census…

“On 2 June we start enumerating - that is - counting the people and structures within our selected area. To add additional information to that, we’ll be conducting the census in Bumprugu in the North East Region, Dormaa West in the Bono Region and selected enumeration areas within the Greater Accra Region such as Okai Koi North, Osu Klottey, Ayawaso and others. At Ayawaso, we’ll go to a hall of residence within the University of Ghana to test how we’ll enumerate institutional populations.

“We have all the money for our trial census. When we are done with the trial census, then we tell the government we’re ready for the census by which time it will trigger the release of the rest of the funds that we need to conduct the main census. For the first phase of the trial census we are thinking of spending about GH¢1.9 million and we plan to have three phases of the trial census.”