The 2020 housing and population census is likely to be postponed, 3news.com can confirm.
The exercise will be held at a later date yet-to-be determined.
The exercise, which is held every decade, was originally scheduled for March.
However, it is gong to be postponed indefinitely as a result of a switch from a traditional census to an electronic one.
According to the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), the 2020 census will be an e-census in order for results to be delivered in real time.
As a result, gadgets to be used for the exercise have to be procured and properly set up in time.
The final decision to postpone the exercise, however, rests with the National Census Steering Committee.
Speaking on 3FM’s Sunrise on Tuesday, January 14, the Deputy Government Statistician, David Y. Kombat, dismissed rumours that the exercise is set to be called off entirely.
He said cabinet has already given express approval.
“No, it is not true…[we are] not calling off but a possibility of postponing it from the original date of March,” he said.
Mr Kombat was, however, certain the exercise will be held this year as data will be depended upon by the Electoral Commission, Ghana (EC) to also compile its register.
Reports are that the exercise may be conducted in August, just in time for the general elections.
“[The National Census Steering Committee] will not take it far from March,” he pointed out.
So far, Mr Kombat said, full funding has not been made available though government has given its word to support the exercise.
He told Sunrise host Stephen Anti that the Service budgeted for GH¢400 million for the exercise but so far only GH¢30 million has been released.
That investment has gone into the cartographic work done so far despite the chunk needed for training and enumeration.
By Emmanuel Kwame Amoh|3news.com|Ghana