Iipumbu Sakaria

The Namibia Statistics Agency is about to undertake one of the most important and significant aspects of the upcoming 2021 Population and Housing Census pre-enumeration activities. This process is called Census mapping. Many might not know what this is all about hence a bit of explanation of what is it and its importance to the main census. Census mapping refers to maps, and is simply about ensuring that all infrastructure in the country is correctly captured and identified on a map with more emphasis on housing.

Currently the Namibia Statistics Agency has in place the ability to get high-resolution satellite images of the entire country. These images are taken by satellites in space and provide us with a good indicator on what is on the ground. However, in order to make sure that the structures are correctly identified and recorded on maps, people will be required to go into the field and ensure that whatever structures we have mapped from the images in the office are correctly identified and recorded on the ground. 

The purpose of this exercise is to ensure that, once all built-up structures are captured and correctly identified, a dwelling unit frame is created and updated in order to allow the upcoming 2021 Census to run smoothly. As you might be aware the Census is a very big exercise that collects massive statistical data for planning, monitoring and evaluation purposes, in short, statistics for development. 

Since Namibia is a very big country area wise with a small population, compared to many other countries, it is important to try to be as efficient as possible in terms of planning. During the 2021 Census enumerators will be sent throughout the entire country to collect statistics and it is this updated dwelling unit database that will allow for the demarcation of the country into small geographic areas known as enumeration areas (EAs). All enumerators will be assigned to specific enumeration areas with determined number of households to enumerate. Having an updated dwelling unit frame will allow these teams to be correctly deployed in order to make the most out of this massive statistical exercise. 

It is exciting to note that one of the key outcome from this exercise apart from enumeration areas and dwelling unit frame is a National Housing Database, which will be provided to the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development. The Housing Database will contain the location of all housing structures linked to key household and housing characteristics necessary for planning as per the resolutions of the second National Land Conference.  

So, the Census mapping exercise will start in September this year and run for a period of  six to nine  months. What is going to practically happen during this period is that our field staff, or enumerators, will go throughout the country and list, or mark, each and every structure in the entire country. 

We are starting with the urban areas for this year (2019) and will move towards the rural areas early next year (2020). Once our field staff comes to your house, they will politely inform households what the exercise is all about, get the details of the owners of the house and get the geographic coordinates of the structure on the ground. 

This is an exercise that will not take up a lot of time and we urgently urge the nation to assist our enumerators in this important exercise. 

Our staff will be clearly identifiable by their ID cards, vehicles with our logos as well as attire that speak to the exercise at hand. We will be working together with the Namibian police as well as neighbourhood watches to ensure that all stakeholders feel secured and that no one poses a risk to the safety of our people. It is a massive undertaking and we will not be able to complete this successfully without the nation’s cooperation and support. In the coming days we shall provide more information regarding this exercise and look forward to your cooperation. 

*Iipumbu Sakaria Manager for Corporate Communications at the Namibia Statistics Agency