The Asante Akim South District Management Team (DMT), tasked to see to the implementation of the Ghana Census of Agriculture (GCA) project has been inaugurated at Juaso.

The project would provide a central database with current information on the rural agricultural structure in Ghana.

It would also establish a solid system for regular production and dissemination of reliable annual agricultural statistics through surveys to affect policy directives.

It is a collaboration between the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), with technical support from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Mrs. Phyllis Mends, the Deputy Director of Statistics, Research and Information Directorate of MoFA, who inaugurated the team, said similar teams headed by the District Coordinating Directors, with District Directors of MoFA and District Statisticians as members, would be inducted across the country.

“The availability of credible data has the benefit to provide policy makers with information to better identify, prepare, implement and evaluate development projects, as well as estimate national accounts among other things”, she stated.

Mrs. Mends said data users such as researchers, students, industries, international organisations and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) also stand to inure to its immense benefit.

The Deputy Director charged the DMT to promote effective awareness creation on the project to make the people accept it.

Mr. Hayford Kyere, the District Coordinating Director and Head of the DMT, said the project was a laudable initiative which would produce accurate data to improve on the agricultural sector.

He pledged the DMT’s commitment to the project and called on all relevant stakeholders to support the team in the performance of its functions.