Kumasi, Aug 28, GNA - Ghanaians living abroad will not be counted in the impending Population and Housing Census scheduled for September, Dr Grace Bediako, Government Statistician, has said.
She said the regulations of the exercise did not give the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) the mandate to enumerate Ghanaians outside the country.
Only those who find themselves within the country on the Census Night would be counted, she stated.
Dr Bediako was addressing the National House of Chiefs (NHC) at a day's sensitization workshop on the Census in Kumasi.
The programme was jointly organized by the GSS and the NHC to help the chiefs to appreciate the importance of the exercise and seek their assistance to ensure its success.
The Government Statistician said chiefs by their position were strategic partners in the programme, especially in the collection and collation of data and therefore they should be supportive of the exercise.
She appealed to them to hold community durbars in their areas to educate their people and encourage them to co-operate with the census officers.
Among the category of people to be counted include household, institutional and floating population including the homeless and those who would be on the streets during the Census Night.
Dr Bediako said the exercise was "very appropriate in determining the progress of government's development policies and programmes" and how well they are affecting the lives of the people, especially in the areas of education, housing and employment.
It was also crucial to the planning and development agenda of government, distribution of services and representation at all levels of the nation's socio-economic and political endeavours.
Wulugu Naba Pugansoa Naa Professor John Nabila, President of the House, urged members to assist the District Census Committees to plan activities to celebrate the Census Night which was the reference point for the programme.
Ghana's population currently stands at 18.9 million, according to the last Census held in the year 2000 by the GSS.
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