The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has began training over 400 field officers to undertake an evaluation of the 2021 population and Housing Census.

The post enumeration survey is, conducted to determine whether data collected were reliable, accurate and up to international standards.

At the training of the officers at Winneba, Deputy Government Statistician, Dr. Faustina Frempong- Ainguah, explained that independent fieldwork is an important component of the entire population and housing exercise and should be supported by the public.

She said, “what we do in the post enumeration survey is that we select samples of these enumeration areas for the independent work. This is to help us to be able to evaluate the work done during the Population and Housing Census.”

Director of Social and Demographic Statistics of the Ghana Statistical Service, Anthony Amuzu-Pharin distinguished between the post enumeration survey and the Population and Housing Census (PHC) stating that the post enumeration survey will concentrate on just a sample of the population unlike the Population and Housing Census that saw everybody being interviewed.

“This is not a mop-up exercise. This is independent fieldwork that will interview a sample of the population. We are actually training them for a period of 12 days, ” he said.

Chief Technical advisor of the UNFPA, Dr. Collins Opiyo said for the Ghana Statistical Service to satisfy its that the exercise covered everybody, the evaluation exercise was necessary.

He indicated the purpose of the census evaluation is to provide users with a level of confidence when utilizing the data and to explain errors if any in the 2021 census results.

This year’s Post Enumeration Survey, he explains, is the first digital Population Evaluation Survey (PES) which requires field officers to master both the content and the use of the tablet for data capture.

The 400 field officers would begin the post enumeration survey on August 25.

The exercise would last for 21 days.