Kumasi (Ashanti Region), 5 Sept., The next national population census has been scheduled for 1999, Dr. Richard B. Turkson, executive director of the National Population Council (NPC), said in Kumasi today. The last census was held in 1984. Dr. Turkson who was inaugurating a 22-member Ashanti Regional Population Advisory Committee, said government has released about 864 million cedis to the Statistical Service to enable it to continue its pre-enumeration exercise in accordance with the new district areas demarcation in preparation for the census. The committee under the chairmanship of Mr. Joe Issachar, Ashanti Regional Co-ordinating Director, among other things, will develop a mechanism for institutional participation to facilitate consensus building. It will also identify and define the population needs of the region and ensure timely collection, collation, processing and analysis of relevant population data in the region. Dr. Turkson said with a growth rate of between 2.9 and 3.1 per cent, the country's population of about 18.1 million by figures released in June this year, will double in about 24 years. He said infant mortality has declined steadily from 119 per 1,000 to 66 per 1,000 while the fertility rate which has dropped from 6.4 in 1988 to 5.5 in 1993 is still considered to be high. Dr. Turkson said with the decentralisation programme, the NPC is taking steps to ensure the integration of population factors in development planning particularly at the district level. Mr. G.K. Kumor, assistant director of the regional co-ordinating council, who chaired the function, asked members of the committee to use their expertise to assist in the formulation of policies to enhance their activities. He regretted that heads of departments and institutions have failed to honour invitation to serve on some committees in the region while others send representatives who cannot cope with the work of such committees. Mr. Kumor appealed to members of the committee to honour their responsibilities diligently, attend meetings regularly and to contribute towards discussions.
Kumasi (Ashanti Region), 5 Sept., The next national population census has been scheduled for 1999, Dr. Richard B. Turkson, executive director of the National Population Council (NPC), said in Kumasi today. The last census was held in 1984. Dr. Turkson who was inaugurating a 22-member Ashanti Regional Population Advisory Committee, said government has released about 864 million cedis to the Statistical Service to enable it to continue its pre-enumeration exercise in accordance with the new district areas demarcation in preparation for the census. The committee under the chairmanship of Mr. Joe Issachar, Ashanti Regional Co-ordinating Director, among other things, will develop a mechanism for institutional participation to facilitate consensus building. It will also identify and define the population needs of the region and ensure timely collection, collation, processing and analysis of relevant population data in the region. Dr. Turkson said with a growth rate of between 2.9 and 3.1 per cent, the country's population of about 18.1 million by figures released in June this year, will double in about 24 years. He said infant mortality has declined steadily from 119 per 1,000 to 66 per 1,000 while the fertility rate which has dropped from 6.4 in 1988 to 5.5 in 1993 is still considered to be high. Dr. Turkson said with the decentralisation programme, the NPC is taking steps to ensure the integration of population factors in development planning particularly at the district level. Mr. G.K. Kumor, assistant director of the regional co-ordinating council, who chaired the function, asked members of the committee to use their expertise to assist in the formulation of policies to enhance their activities. He regretted that heads of departments and institutions have failed to honour invitation to serve on some committees in the region while others send representatives who cannot cope with the work of such committees. Mr. Kumor appealed to members of the committee to honour their responsibilities diligently, attend meetings regularly and to contribute towards discussions.
