The Head of Publicity, Education and Advocacy for the 2021 Census, Francis Nyarko Larbi, has said that the 2021 Population and Housing Census will cost 512 million Ghana cedis.
According to him, initial estimates for the exercise was 477 million Ghana cedis. However, with the outbreak of the novel COVID-19 pandemic, the cost increased.
He made this known in an interview with Samuel Eshun on the Happy Morning Show aired on e.TV Ghana and Happy 98.9FM.
“As a result of the COVID-19, the cost is about 512 million. Previously, it was about 477 million. This was as a result of the protocols and the training. Authorities have finally come out to announce this as the new cost. We continue to receive amounts from this budget as and when we need it. For example, the first phase may need 20 million, then the next phase may be 10 million. All we need is govt commitment to support,” he said.
The 2021 PHC will be the first digital PHC in Ghana. The 2021 PHC will provide important information to support the evidence-based implementation of the national development agenda and support the tracking of achievements of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Agenda 2063 of the African Union.
On Friday 19th March 2021, His Excellency the Vice President of the Republic of Ghana announced 27th June 2021 as the Census Night date for the upcoming Ghana’s 2021 Population and Housing Census (PHC).
The 2021 PHC was initially scheduled to be conducted in 2020 but had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, the Service is on course for the collection of data in the second quarter of the year.