Accra, April 7, GNA - The Publicity and Education Unit (PEU) of National Census Secretariat is organising a national competition on publicity for the 2010 Census. The first prize is GH¢1,000, second prize GH¢700 and GH¢500 for the third prize.

The unit has therefore called on the public to submit recorded jingle in English and one local language to the Secretariat in Accra by noon on Tuesday, April 27.

The call was made in a statement issued by Dr. Grace Bediako, Government Statistician, in Accra on Wednesday. It said duration for the jingle should be between 45 to 60 seconds in any Ghanaian language, Dagbani, Ewe, Akan, Hausa, Ga and Nzema. The statement said the jingle should contain lyrics such as; "it's time to be counted, if you reside in Ghana. To help our leaders plan well for the future, assist the census official with good and reliable information about yourself and members of your household. Get involved, get counted and help our nation grow."

It said an alternative to the above stated lyrics could be: "The national census is here again! If you reside in Ghana, get involved and get counted. Provide accurate and reliable information to the census official! You will be contributing positively towards planning a better future for Ghana".

The statement said an individual could compose that "2010 is the time for the census, get involved and get counted. Be part of a future of orderliness. This must begin with the 2010 census. Remember, the time is now."

It said another form of lyrics could be: "Get counted in the 2010 Census, get Ghana developed. Census data plays a crucial role in the allocation of funds for national development so provide reliable data for 2010 Census!"

"For an improvement in our public health, community and transportation programmes, among other services, get counted in the 2010 Census. For our government to make decisions on where to build highways, where to establish new schools, and so forth, get involved in the 2010 Census! For businesses to determine where to open new locations, get interested in the 2010 Census. It's our duty, it's your duty, it's everybody's duty. Get counted, set Ghana on the path to development." The statement called on people interested in the competition to look out for guidelines in the Daily Graphic and Ghanaian Times. 7 April 10