Maihapa Ndjavera
The National Population and Housing Census, conducted every decade by the Namibia Statistics Agency, will require some 11 500 enumerators for it to be successful.
This is the view of NSA statistician general Alex Shimuafeni, who said the exercise slated for August would cost the country about N$1.1 billion.
“We will employ 11 500 enumerators. We will advertise nationally, and people have to apply online due to the magnitude and the requirement by the ministry of labour,” he explained in response to questions from New Era.
The NSA is also set to receive 11 500 tablets for the census for free from Kenya in order to conduct a fruitful and successful exercise.
The NSA would thus only pay for the transportation of the tablets to Namibia, and for insurance and storage while they are in the country.
“We will get the tablets for free. This is a norm in our industry as we had also lent out some GPS devices to Ethiopia some four years ago,” Shimuafeni said.
Commenting on the total cost of the census, the NSA CEO said a complete breakdown of the N$1.1 billion will be announced in coming days, including where the funds will be sourced from.
Shimuafeni stated that with the outbreak of Covid-19, there will be new health and safety measures for the census process. In this regard, the NSA is contemplating online questionnaires or telephonic interviews to include social distancing in the process.
Meanwhile, NSA board chairperson Salomo Hei said in his New Year’s message titled ‘The Year of the Census-2022’ that the NSA has commenced with preparations for the 2021 census, which was delayed because of Covid-19.
“We have strengthened our position as the functional leaders of the national statistical system. Statistics are increasingly shaping our decisions, interactions and progress. Good and timely statistics enable us to make better, more informed choices about the things that matter most in our society, economy and livelihoods,” he said.
Hei added that it is critical that all Namibians have access to statistics they can trust. This year will see the NSA deliver the largest-ever census in Namibia, which will complement the already conducted census mapping process. Census mapping is the process of dividing the country into smaller units of land, during which boundaries are clearly described and the number of communally-based services identified.
Caption: Census
Caption: Shaping decisions…The Namibia Statistics Agency will require 11 500 enumerators for the 2022 Housing and Population Census, slated for August this year.
Photo: Contributed