Iipumbu Sakaria
In about two weeks’ time Namibia will host its second land conference. As part of its contribution towards the debate of the second national land conference, the NSA has embarked upon a compilation exercise for different land statistics in the country. The aim of the exercise is to compile statistics and develop a National Land Statistics Booklet to highlight, in a neutral and objective manner, available statistics in our national land databases. To achieve this milestone the NSA is hosting a land symposium at NIPAM today where various stakeholders will be engaged and sensitised about the importance of working together so as to ensure that land statistics are available to those that need them. The invited guests are mainly the producers of land statsitics and hence it will also be required from the delegates to participate in the validation and enhancement of these land statistics.
There is no doubt that the land issue is creating a lot of interest, expectations and debate. However, just like statistics or information is used in many avenues to generate evidence-based planning and monitoring, so are statistics important to understand the status quo surrounding land. Hence the compilation of this booklet, and the usage thereof, should enhance the evidence-based contributions at the upcoming land conference. So what type of land statistics can the public expect from this booklet?
Well, for starters, the Namibia Statistics Agency is fortunate to have a fully functioning Geographic Information System (GIS) and Spatial Data Infrastructure which allows it to collect, analyse and disseminate up-to-date geographic information regarding the land. The booklet will hence provide basic facts on Namibia and pre-independence land statistics status and ownership, the land tenure statistics, information on commercial land acquired through the resettlement program as well farms acquired through the Agricultural Bank of Namibia.
Some of the highlights of the booklet will include information on the land statistics in Namibia in 1902, 1921, 1937, 1955 and post-1964. This is then of course extended to land statistics after independence. The trends in the land statistics since 1902 will also be analysed and, for comparison sake, also compared to the land tenure status in the SADC region. The modus operandi for the symposium will take the form of presentations of the different topics with an emphasis to ensure that correct information is collected, analysed and disseminated. The NSA would like to encourage those that will take part in this symposium to assist the agency in compiling the most accurate booklet in order to provide information for the upcoming land conference. The NSA remains committed to providing statistics necessary for development. Do not be left out when it comes to statistics for development. Our statistics remain freely available either at our offices in the capital and in all the regions, as well as on our website and statistical mobile application.
Iipumbu Sakaria is the Manager of Corporate Communications at the NSA