Deficiencies Revealed in Census Will Help Plan Better

Population census is more than just counting people.

Conducted correctly, such an exercise has the potential to reveal the social wrongs and rights, and to expose service delivery shortcomings that exist in a country at a certain point in time.

Examples of needs exposed by a census include the living conditions of the poor, vulnerable and disabled in society; their ability to access basic needs such as water, sanitation, healthcare and education and other needs too, such as mobility or transportation, electricity and financial services, among others.

A census exposes deficiencies and helps planners and decision makers to deploy a nation’s resources more productively.

It will fill gaps where social and other needs are either absent or inadequate.

Countries only conduct a census periodically as such exercises are costly, so they must be executed efficiently, comprehensively and with buy-in from the nation’s population.

For a long time now, the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) has advertised that a census will be conducted this year.

The last one was conducted in 2011.

The purpose of the exercise has been explained widely through advertisements in the media.

Yet one wonders why some farmers are denying census enumerators entry to their property.

While in the farmer’s employ, workers are provided with housing, food rations and other basic needs.

But what will happen to farm workers and their families when they are no longer employed on a farm?

It’s a no-brainer that they will turn to the state.