The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has begun the last phase of training 'Master Trainers' for the 2021 Population and Housing Census (PHC) in Winneba.

The in-person training workshop on Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) would run for 8 days, from 9th to 16th December 2020.

It follows a nine-day virtual training programme, which was held between 23rd November and 3rd December, 2020.

A statement from the GSS said the CAPI training was necessary because the upcoming 2021 PHC, which is scheduled to take place in April and May 2021, was a digital census that involved the use of tablets (Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing, CAPI) for electronic data capture and syncing.

As such, trainers for the 2021 PHC are required to have mastery of the use of tablets in addition to the questionnaire content and enumeration procedures.

In all, 127 prospective Master Trainers are participating in the workshop which will involve assessments to determine the participants who will be selected as Master Trainers for the 2021 PHC.

The Master Trainers are at the apex of a four-tier training strategy for the 2021 PHC which aims to train approximately 75,000 Field Officers to collect data.

Master Trainers will train National Trainers who will in turn train Regional Trainers who will directly train Field Officers.

At the opening ceremony for the training, the Head of Census Methodology, Mr. Owusu Kagya welcomed participants on behalf of the Management of Ghana Statistical Service and the training team.

He entreated participants to take the training seriously because census work was demanding and required commitment.

He said the main objective of the census was to collect credible usable data for decision-making and as such effective training was key to making this possible.

The Head of the National Census Secretariat, Mr. George Emmanuel Ossei also emphasized the importance of the exercise and the need for participants to observe all the health and safety protocols.

The conduct of the Census is in accordance with the objectives of Ghana Statistical Service to provide quality, relevant, accurate and timely statistical information for national development as stipulated in Clause 3 of the Statistical Service Act, 2019 (Act 1003) and oversight of capacity building in the statistical ecosystem.