THE Population and Housing Census in the past has not helped the two Kavango regions in terms of planning or allocation of government resources, 33 years after independence, Rundu rural constituency councillor Paulus Mbangu has said.
Mbangu made the remarks on Monday during a stakeholders' meeting hosted by the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) at the Kavango East regional governor's office. The meeting was held to update the regional leadership and other stakeholders on the 2023 Population and Housing Census that is expected to take place in August this year.
A census is the process of systematically counting the entire population of a country, which is undertaken every 10 years.
Mbangu said although data is essential for planning purposes, for the past 33 years, the scientific evidence of previous censuses has not helped the two regions in any way.
He said in 1991, 1993 and 1994, the National Planning Commission (NPC) carried out a population and housing census as well as income and expenditure surveys, and in 1995, there was an agricultural census, with results indicating that the Kavango regions are the poorest in Namibia. However, the budget allocation from the government was contrary to those statistics.
Mbangu added that the 2001 and 2011 censuses, 2003 and 2004 income expenditure survey and the United Nations Developmental Programme survey, the University of Namibia survey on the levels of living standards indicated that the Kavango regions are the poorest.
He said when planning and making budget allocations, the government does not consider the scientific data collected on the ground.
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"Why do we conduct the census if the results do not even inform our own government?" asked Mbangu.
Mbangu stressed that if the coming census' results do not influence the budget allocation, the public will also lose interest in the government and the statistics agency.
Meanwhile, the Kavango East regional governor, Bonifatius Wakudumo, said the population and housing census should include counting infrastructure, such as schools and roads, to inform decision-makers on the infrastructure needed in the regions.
He said the government had spent a lot of money on the demarcation of farming units in the region, but there must be feeder roads for farmers to access markets.
"Those are the factors that contribute to the region [being classified as] poor. Somebody has 200 cattle on their farm, but how does this person bring his cattle to the market in the absence of roads," questioned Wakudumo, adding that those developmental issues need to be highlighted.
NSA's executive for economic statistics Abel Sindano said the role of the statistics agency is to produce official statistics to inform policymakers to ensure that they base their decisions on the results.
He agreed that there has to be an emphasis on using statistics for planning, but the NSA would be overstepping its mandate if it imposes recommendations on the government.
The NSA is expected to recruit around 13 000 Namibians to carry out the exercise, but no one employed full-time will be hired.
