Vice President John Dramani Mahama on Wednesday renewed the call on Ghanaians to fully participate in the on-going national population and housing census exercise.
He said apart from serving as a critical component for nation-building and data collection, the exercise would also assist Government to plan for development and serve as a data base to facilitate the distribution of resources.
The Vice President made this call when Dr. Grace Bediako, government statistician led officials of the Statistical service to pay a courtesy call on him at the Castle, Osu.
They were also there to find out when it would be convenient for the Vice President to be counted in the national exercise.
Vice President Mahama asked them to count him at his residence on Saturday, October 2, and used the opportunity to urge Ghanaians to give the Census Officials the fullest cooperation since government would for the next ten years rely on whatever data they came out with after the exercise to ensure the equitable distribution of resources.
Dr. Grace Bediako, who expressed optimism in coming out with the best results as planned, however, expressed shock at the numbers they were recording on the streets of Accra.
"We are alarmed by the sheer numbers of homelessness, something we did not anticipate," she said, adding "We are, however, happy that since the commencement of the census we have not recorded any negativity or resistance from the populace."
As a result, she said they were compelled to mobilize resources to acquire more questionnaire to avoid any shortage in the course of the exercise.GNA Eastern Region contractors to complete SHS buildings before end of October
Koforidua, Sept. 29, GNA - Contractors working on Senior High School (SHS) classroom blocks in the Eastern Region had assured the Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) that they would strive to complete the projects before the end of October this year.
This is to help reduce pressure on facilities at schools as a result of increase in the student population created by the four-year secondary education programme.
This was disclosed by the Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo when the headmaster and staff of Abuakwa State College (ABUSCO) and the East Akim Municipal Director of Education, Mrs Kate Agyeman-Badu paid a courtesy call on him in Koforidua on Wednesday.
Mr Ofosu-Ampofo said that the contractor working on the Begoro Presbyterian SHS building had informed him that he had completed the project.
The Minister said he had involved in discussions with management of SHSs in the Region in finding temporary solutions to the problem caused by delays in the completion of the projects.
Mr Ofosu-Ampofo expressed the hope that the contractors would honour their promises to help avoid unnecessary crisis at the various SHSs when school re-opens.
Mrs Agyeman-Badu told the Regional Minister that he and management of ABUSCO had made temporary adjustments at the school to help contain the situation.
Mr Nicholas Yeboah Ani-Agyei, headmaster of ABUSCO, appealed to the Regional Minister to help the school acquire a water tank for a borehole, which had been drilled for the school by a company that deals in solar energy.