UNFPA deploys independent monitors to observe the 2021 Population and Housing Census

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has deployed 40 population experts from the international community to monitor the Population and  Housing Census (PHC).

Sunday, June 27, 2021, was declared and observed as Census night. The counting and enumeration of persons in households and long-stay institutions would take place between June 28, 2021 and July 11, 2021.

The Country Representative of the UNFPA, Mr Niyi Ojuolape, who confirmed this to Graphic Online, said the deployment was in response to the government’s request for the UNFPA to implement the peer monitoring of the 2021 PHC.

He said the purpose of the monitoring exercise was to observe and report on the training and data collection procedures viz-a-viz international standards and best practices that could be replicated elsewhere on the African continent, with documented lessons learned.

He said the monitoring was also predicated on the need to closely monitor and provide objective assessment and feedback on the impact of the extensive use of new methodologies and technologies (innovations) on the quality of enumeration and share the experiences and best practices with other countries through South-South cooperation.

Mr Ojuolape said the independent monitoring of census exercises had gained currency, especially in the last two census rounds.

He said more developing countries and experts were requesting to be involved in the initiative, as it also facilitated knowledge gathering and experience sharing.

“The ultimate report will be used to share knowledge, experiences and best practices with other countries through UNFPA-led South-South cooperation. Population censuses have been conducted in Ghana at approximately 10-year intervals since 1891, the last being in 2010,” Mr Ojuolape said.

He said the inclusion of people from other countries would enable the process to be truly independent.

“Additionally, the independent monitoring process will benefit from skills and experiences from other parts that may be lacking within the Ghanaian context. Then, again, the inclusion of international citizens from developing countries enhances South-South exchanges,” he said.

Technology

The UNFPA Country Representative said all previous censuses, including those conducted post-independence, and had been manually conducted with the paper-based questionnaire.

Mr Ojuolape said for the first time ever, the PHC would be done using a fully digital modality.

“The modality utilises the Computer-Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) method, which involves the use of tablets for data collection. While the use of technology allows for a more efficient data collection and analysing process, there are still calls to strengthen quality assurance of data collected.

“Both the UN Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Census and Handbook on Census Management emphasize the role of monitoring and evaluation as integral to successful census taking,” he said.

Mr Ojuolape said to facilitate the current census, several innovative and unique features had been introduced in the 2021 PHC that would not only ensure the collection of quality and policy-relevant data and rapid release of user-friendly results but also provide lessons learned and good practices for other countries.

He mentioned the innovations to include the fusing of interactive area maps for accurate identification of enumeration and supervision areas; the use of Geographic Positioning System (GPS) to capture the location of all structures; and advanced data quality assurance procedures, including use of real-time enumeration tracking dashboard and dynamic data quality management at the district, regional and national levels.

Other support

Mr Niyi Ojuolape said aside from the deployment of the independent observers; UNFPA had supported the Ghana Statistical Service with an international consultant who has been providing technical assistance to the census process since 2019.

‘’The UNFPA, at the global level is finalising an e-Learning programme on census quality assurance, which includes observer missions as part of the M&E requirements for successful PHCs. It is, therefore, a laudable idea for Ghana Government to agree to the deployment of independent observers to monitor the census as Ghana’s experience will be captured as part of the curriculum” he said.

He applauded the fact that the country, in the midst of the pandemic drew a business continuity plan (BCP) which allowed for the extension of census preparations.

He said several questions on the impact of COVID-19 on censuses were yet to be answered.

“For example, questions on the effectiveness of the use of self-learning, virtual, and face-to-face training needs to be responded to. Others include the impact of the pandemic on the procurement and distribution of census supplies; and how households will receive enumerators given the ongoing COVD-19 context.

“All these uncertainties make a genuine case for the need for independent monitoring during a COVID-19 era. Other countries, especially those participating in the independent monitoring stand to benefit immensely from Ghana’s experiences as one of the foremost African countries to conduct a census under COVID-19. The report of the independent monitoring and its dissemination will serve as a great knowledge product that other countries could use,” he said.

He said the inclusion of persons from other countries would enable the process to be truly independent.

“Additionally, the independent monitoring process will benefit from skills and experiences from other parts that may be lacking within the Ghanaian context. Then again, the inclusion of international citizens from developing countries enhances south-south exchanges,” he said

Writer’s email: doreen.andoh@graphic.com.gh