Professor Smart Sarpong, the Director of Research and Innovation at Kumasi Technical University, is advocating for the empowerment of local pollsters to facilitate the smooth execution of surveys across the nation.
He voiced significant concerns regarding the oversight of local pollsters who carry out election-related surveys in various regions and remote areas.
In an interview with Bernard Avle on The Point of View on Channel One TV, Professor Sarpong contrasted local pollsters with international firms like Fitch Solutions, which primarily focus on global surveys.
He emphasized that international pollsters often avoid certain locations that he and his colleagues are willing to explore for their survey work.
“Seriously, I hold the view that local level capacities [local pollsters] like myself and my brother in the studio [Mussa Dankwa, CEO of Global InfoAnalytics], like many others who have interest locally, need to be empowered.
“I will always believe local-level studies than these ones that you keep referring to, like Fitch Solutions, they take a more observational view, then they pass their judgments based on the trends and pattern of the views they have taken.
“The places we will have time to visit, are your Fitch Solutions and the Economic Intelligence Unit, they are doing for many countries so they wouldn’t go there.”
Professor Smart Sarpong, in his recent poll, said Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Presidential Candidate, was leading with 49.1%, while National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer John Dramani Mahama trailed at 45.8%.
The poll, conducted as of November 16, 2024, just four weeks before the general elections, also showed Independent Candidate Nana Kwame Bediako polling 2.2% and Alan Kyerematen of the Movement for Change securing 1.2%. Other candidates collectively garnered 1.7% of the votes.
Bawumia leads with 49.1%, Mahama trails at 45.8% – Prof Sarpong’s poll predicts
