The Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) has concluded the census mapping and pilot census alongside the post-enumeration survey pilot for the 2023 Population and Housing Census, as part of the pre-enumeration phase.

This was revealed by NSA Statistician-General and Chief Executive Officer Alex Shimuafeni at a media briefing on Wednesday, following the government’s allocation of N.dollars 706 million to the agency for the 2023/24 financial year to undertake the census.

Shimuafeni said the NSA team is currently busy testing the data collection application, as informed by the pilot census outcomes, in the seven regions: Zambezi, Erongo, Kunene, Ohangwena, Hardap, Kavango West and Omusati.

“The field exercise started on 27 February 2023 and will run until 10 March 2023. The final testing will be done in the Khomas Region from 14-17 March 2023,” he said.

Shimuafeni requested the selected households to assist NSA field staff when approached as the main purpose of the field testing is to ensure that all census tools are ready for the main census in August 2023.

The census consists of three phases; the pre-enumeration, enumeration and post enumeration phases.

Pre-enumeration includes the mapping and pilot census, whereas the post-enumeration survey deals with data processing, data analysis and report writing.

A census is conducted every 10 years and is essentially a process of collecting, processing, analysing, publishing and disseminating demographic, socio-economic and spatial data of the population during a specific period of time.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency