Be counted in the Namibian house – Geingob

President Hage Geingob has pleaded with the nation to open their doors to the 2023 Population and Housing Census team.

Geingob yesterday launched the national census, which will kick off on Monday and run until 3 November.

“Let us all cooperate wholeheartedly with those who will be conducting the census, because our participation as citizens is an act of civic and national duty to contribute to the betterment of our Namibian house,” he said.

Namibians who refuse to provide enumerators with data in the forthcoming census may be slapped with a N$50 000 fine or a jail term of up to five years, or both.

The president said the aim of the census is to provide the facts essential to the government for policymaking, planning and administration.

“. . . enabling the development of appropriate socio-economic policies aimed at enhancing the welfare of our population,” he said.
Geingob said Namibians’ participation would help the government make informed decisions and allocate resources more effectively.

“Whether it is in education, healthcare, or infrastructure development, the census provides us with the necessary benchmarks to measure our progress,” he said.

Geingob believes the census keeps the government accountable to its promises and ensures that development is on track.

“Our commitment to transparency, accountability, and data-driven decision-making should not just be a commitment on paper, but should be a commitment in action, and that is why we have also made resources available from our budget, in a period of pressing economic need, for the census,” the president said.

The Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) has recruited over 13 000 temporary positions for the upcoming 2023 Population and Housing Census.

The agency has employed census field staff, including enumerators, enumeration supervisors, data clerks, and information technology field technicians to ensure the smooth execution of the census.

The NSA has received 11 000 tablets donated by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa from Togo, 1 700 tablets from Statistics South Africa, and 700 tablets from the inventory.

The government has committed to giving the agency N$706 million for the 2023/24 financial year to undertake the census.

The last census was conducted in 2011.

Statistician general Alex Shimuafeni previously explained that the roll-out of the census will cater for everyone who has spent the night in the country a day before the census resumes, but Namibians who are in the diaspora will not be counted on the day of the census.

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