Open your fenced homes for Census officials to count you — Census Officer to homeowners

The Takoradi District Census Officer, Samuel Ackah Cudjoe has urged homes with fenced walls to open up to census officials to enable them to be counted.

He also asked them to educate their security men manning the various gates to warmly receive officials seen with the Ghana Statistical Service Tags mandated to carry out the exercise.

Mr Cudjoe told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that, one major challenge encountered during the listing of Structures which began on June 13, 2021, was that most walled houses were not easily accessible, "sometimes, you will go and there is no one in the house to respond to the questions."

Meanwhile, the Acts that established the Service, Acts 1003 of 2019, clause 50 enjoins all individuals whether in walled, detached or semi-detached and wherever you are found to willing provide information to the service for national development purposes.

Under the Acts, anyone who gives false information prevents people from giving information to the official of the service commits a crime punishable by law.

He said, "I am pleading with all persons to make themselves available to be counted because they count. All structures that have security should inform their security that field officers will be visiting to write on their structure or ask them questions for us not to leave any person behind."

In another development, the Metropolitan Director of Education, Mrs Elizabeth Akouko has called on teachers participating in the exercise to make proper arrangements with school authorities to ensure that students were not left unattended.

"We have been told how important this exercise is and the need for accuracy in data collection, hence the participation of teachers...we also expect you to collaborate with headteachers on the necessary arrangements for your students that you leave behind in the wake of the exercise".

---GNA