The Northern Regional Statistician, Mr. George Agbenyo has assured Ghanaians that the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) is determined to conduct credible Population and Housing scheduled in June this year.
He noted that the ongoing face-to-face workshop organised for National Trainers across the country forms part of several capacity training aimed at boosting the knowledge and understanding of the concept for the census.
Mr Agbenyo said the GSS recognizes that the task ahead is a difficult one and therefore they’re not ready to compromise on the quality of personnel for the job. The Ghana Statistical Service began eight-day facial contact training for National Trainers across all six zones in the country.
This is the final training for personnel in this category following several weeks of self-learning sessions where the personnel had the requisite materials to learn coupled with days of virtual training.
However, Mr. Agbenyo in an exclusive interview told THE CUSTODIAN that there would be screening after the face-to-face training and individuals who sail through will be selected as resource persons to train Regional Trainers.
He added that the Regional Trainers will then also train Field Staff such as enumerators and supervisors, explaining that, “We scale it down in a more purposeful manner that the task is huge and we have to train those who will have to go and train others and they also train others until the last level.”
The Northern Region Statistician underscored the importance of the training, stating that, “we are trying to scale information from the top to the numerical level and if the interpretation of some of our concepts doesn’t go down well, it will lead to the situation where some of the field staff will not understand the variables and the implication is that they will go to the field and collect wrong data and that is why we are not taking it easily with these trainings”.
Meanwhile, the northern region forms part of zone six and about 293 individuals are participating in the eight-day face-to-face national trainers’ workshop in Tamale and Wa in the Upper West region.