The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) and the National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana (NALAG) have been urged to organize training workshop on the 2010 Population and Housing Census (PHC) for Presiding Members of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies.
Assemblymember for Nakpale Borile Electoral Area, Mr Edward Atta Abebe Dawuni, who made call, said when the presiding members were adequately
educated on the exercise, they would be in the position to also brief assembly members at meetings.
He suggested two zonal workshops, saying northern and southern sectors with centres at Kumasi and Accra.
Mr Dawuni Abebe said this when he met his electorates at Nakpale Borile in the Zabzugu/ Tatale District of Northern Region.
He said the northern sector should comprise of the three Northern Regions, Ashanti and Brong Ahafo Regions, with the Southern sector
comprising Greater Accra, Central, Western, Volta and Eastern Regions.
Mr Dawuni Abebe, who is also the Presiding member of the Zabzugu/Tatale District Assembly, stated that it would be one of the ways
the Assembly members' could support in the implementation of the 2010 Census to be successful.
He noted that since some people still held false beliefs about counting or enumeration of people, it was important for assembly members to
have a fair knowledge about the census so that they could educate their electorates much better and cooperate with the 50,000 census officials.
According to the Assembly member this would help the Assembly members in the 170 districts to educate their chiefs and their electorates
particularly in the conflict areas to cooperate with enumerators, who would be recruited to work in their communities.
Speaking on the importance of education, he urged parents not to comprise the education of their children for anything because education is
the bedrock of development, which could bridge regional gaps.
Recognizing this, he said, government now provided free school uniforms, free exercise books, and free-school feeding to help to cushion
the parent's expenditure on education.
He also urged the electorate to register with the National Health Insurance Scheme to enable them to benefit from the free medical service.
The Paramount Chief of Tatale Traditional Area, Obore Ganba Yankosor, also appealed to the Ghana Statistical Service to make sure that they
recruited enumerators, who were qualified from the localities of the 170 Districts.
He said this was to ensure that there would not be any language barrier or communication challenges between the census officials and the
people.
Obore Ganba urged Ghanaians not to politicize the exercise in order to ensure a successful 2010 Population and Housing Census.
He appealed to chiefs to ensure that all their people were enumerated without any hindrance.
He called on Ghanaians particularly the Assembly members to get involve in public education to ensure that all the people in their electoral areas were not enumerated.
Obore Ganba commended the Assembly member for the call on GSS and NALAG.