Enumerators face challenges

Accra, Sept. 26, GNA - Enumerators are beginning to face a series of challenges as the Census gets off the ground with the most prominent being lack of logistics and security as well as the refusal of some floating voters to be counted.

The Ghana News Agency (GNA) observed that squatters at the Tema Station on Census Night refused to cooperate with census officials saying their sleep had been disturbed. They also expressed discomfort with the electronic media. While some of them refused of wake up to be counted those who were not asleep would not just budge. It took the intervention of an interpreter to convince some to cooperate because most of them said they did not know what was going on.

A Net 2 Television cameraman was manhandled when she attempted to take shots and it took the intervention of some media colleagues to save a nasty situation because there were no security personnel accompanying the enumerators. Some squatters behind the Independence Square, however, cooperated with the enumerators and gave out information. At several parts of Accra, enumerators complained about lack of logistics, such as rain coats, torch lights, dry cell batteries and forms.

They also complained about lack of security in places considered as dangerous. They are walking in groups to protect one another. At certain parts of the city, people sleeping outside said they did not know about the exercise and complained that they were being disturbed by the enumerators.

At the O and A bus terminal a passenger travelling to Wa refused to cooperate because, he said, he would be counted at Wa. A foreigner believed to be Burkinabe could not communicate because he could not speak English or any local language. Officers at the Accra Central Police Station said some policemen had been sent to Abuja and CMB areas to help the enumerators. Earlier at the enumerators' base, excited enumerators broke into groups, with some of them trekking on foot to their various locations after receiving their materials, including torch lights to reach people who had no access to electricity.

They are dressed in blue "T" Shirts with the inscription 2010 Census Official behind. They are also wearing ID cars around their neck. Speaking to the newsmen, the Reverend Mrs. Emma Sepah, Greater Accra Regional Statistician, admitted that there were challenges, including convincing people to cooperate and having security men around. She gave the assurance that the challenges had been duly noted and they would be addressed as the census went on.

Meanwhile, the enumeration is going on smoothly in the hotels. The only challenge at some hotels is that some of the guests, especially foreign guests, are not willing to give information. Some of the enumerators told the Ghana News Agency that they dropped the forms at some hotels and would return to collect them on Monday morning. 26 Sept. 10