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The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has been urged to look into other forms of data collection for the effective implementation of policies and programmes in the country. The Director General of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Dr Nii Moi Thompson, said, although census was good, it was periodic and expensive. �There are other forms of statistics such as surveys, and administrative statistics which is of great importance for both policy making, policy discourse, development management and take place at the district level�, he said. Dr Thompson was speaking at the launch of the 2010 Population and Housing District Census Report in Accra last Thursday. It was compiled by the staff of the district assemblies with the guidance of consultants and GSS staff. The report was to serve as a basis for improving the livelihood of Ghanaians and provide users with the requisite data for evidence-based planning, policy formulation, monitoring and evaluation of developmental goals and intervention programmes. Content of the report include the demographic characteristics of the population in the district ,social and economic characteristics , persons with disability, access to and use of information, communication and technology facilities , population in agriculture, housing condition and household facilities, and the conclusion and policy implications of these findings. Launching the report, the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Julius Debrah, said statistics were essential in painting an objective picture for the country�s economic and social conditions, as well as the efficient allocation of scarce resources for national development. He said it was the responsibility of the GSS to ensure that reliable, relevant and useful statistics and indicators were produced in good time for use, adding that it was also the duty of the government to create an enabling environment and also to provide the needed resources for the production of such statistics. For his part, the Deputy Government Statistician, Mr Baah Wadieh, said the report was put together with the collaborative effort of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD) of Canada, and the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA).