The Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) has confirmed the suspension of the census mapping exercise. As per the directive from President Hage Geingob, calling for a state of emergency because of the Covid-19 outbreak, NSA’s statistician general and CEO Alex Shimuafeni on Friday confirmed the Census mapping has been put on hold until 14 April 2020, or at least until the situation stabilises.
“This halting of this activity is necessitated by the fact that mapping field staff is expected to visit numerous houses for face-to-face interviews, which may increase the risk of the mapping staff as well as for the household members responding to our survey,” read a statement from the NSA.
The purpose of census mapping is to demarcate the entire country into uniquely defined units of Enumeration Areas (EAs). The EAs provide an accurate national geographic frame to conduct censuses, which, in this case, is the 2021 census. In addition, mapping collects detailed information regarding the use of built-up structures, which cannot be obtained during an office exercise and such output will contribute to the development of a Statistics Business Register (SBR). The census mapping started in October 2019 and was expected to run until November 2020 with mop-up activities until sometime next year before the main census.
Moreover, to comply with the presidential directive, NSA decided to significantly reduce the movement of visitors to its offices and, therefore, advises the public to contact them through info@nsa.org.na, to visit the website www.nsa.org.na or through their mobile App.
Thus far, the census mapping has been completed in the Zambezi region and the team was busy with the Khomas area, where they have already completed four rounds. The halting of the census mapping will delay the envisaged completion date of the census mapping, but the NSA said it is looking at ways to strengthen field teams to ensure the census mapping is completed well in time for the main census enumeration.
Kindly be assured that NSA is certain we will be able to implement the census pilot in August 2020 with a sufficient number of EAs to test all the census tools and methodologies. This is one year before the commencement of the main census, which complies with international recommendations and best practices.
The main census enumeration was scheduled to start on 29 August 2021, also known as the census reference night. The main census enumeration data collection is for the period 29 August 2021 to end of September 2021. “We, therefore, want to assure the nation that census mapping and the entire census exercise is on track; funds and logistics are being managed prudently and we look forward to the nation’s cooperation and support once we come to your household after the coronavirus measures are suspended,” read the NSA’s statement.