A member of the 2010 Population and Housing Census (PHC) Coordinating Team, Mr. David Kombat has announced that next year's census would use a de-facto count of enumeration method. The census coverage under a de-facto type of enumeration, he explained would ensure the coverage of all persons and living quarters within the borders of Ghana; which would include all infants, children and the sick as well as the mentally impaired persons captured before the census night. Mr. Kombat, announced this when he gave an overview of the 2010 PHC at a two-day training workshop organised for the District Census Implementation Committee (DCIC) and some media practitioners drawn from Accra. Elaborating further, Mr. John Foster Agyaho, Assistant Statistician, explained that under the de-facto type of enumeration people would be enumerated based on where they spend the census night, adding that the system which was used in previous censuses would ensure the total coverage of every person in Ghana. Moreover, Dr. Grace Bediako, the Government Statistician, observed that while serving as a reference point, the de-facto method would also check the incidence of double counting of people. She said the census night is like a snap-shot of the people living in Ghana before midnight of the census, which usually precedes the census. It was disclosed that new areas like covering disability, ICT, and agriculture will be included in the eight broad areas based on which information would be elicited from individuals. The inclusion of these areas, according to her, was the product of consultations of the National Census Secretariat, with the National Census Technical Advisory Committee and consultants for the 2010 PHC; which reviewed the questionnaire to meet the UN Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses. The addition of the three new areas in Mr. Agyaho's view will help the Ghana Statistical Service identify the number of Persons with Disability living in Ghana. This will help the government as well as the District Assemblies to effectively plan for their needs in national development. In furtherance, he adduced that the 2010 PHC will afford the country the opportunity of revising the electoral areas and the demarcation of constituencies; Overall, the census information and results is anticipated to assist the Central Government, Regions and the District Assemblies effectively plan in the areas of education, health, housing and other socio-economic services areas. It is also expected to provide critical reference to ensure equitable distribution of national resources that will facilitate development. Likewise, Mr. Emmanuel Amonoo Cobbinah, Head of Programme Planning and Budgeting, gave the assurance of confidentiality of any information collected from individuals during the census. Story by Kwesi Yirenkyi Boateng/All Africa