The vice president of The Gambia, Muhammed B.S. Jallow on Friday presided over the launch of the Gambia 2024 Population and Housing Census at a ceremony held at Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Centre.
The national exercise, which starts from 25th May to 14th June 2024, is unique in the sense it is the first-ever digital population and housing census in the country.
The exercise is critical as it provides information on population and housing characteristics of the country; to guide development planning and decision-making as well as monitor and evaluate developmental progress.
The event was punctuated with a musical performance by renowned Gambia kora maestro, Jaliba Kuyateh, who composed a song dedicated to the importance of national census.
In his launch statement, Muhammed B.S. Jallow, vice president of The Gambia, on behalf of the president, said the event represents not only a data collection exercise, but also a testament to the country's commitment to the production of current data for informed decision-making and evidence-base for sustainable development.
He recalling that The Gambia has a rich history of data collection dating back to 1881 and that since then population and housing census have regularly been conducted; except the postponement of 1941 census due to the second world war and in 1961 and 1963 due to general elections planned in the same year.
Population and housing census is a crucial undertaking by this country. Since 1973, The Gambia has regularly participated in the census programme and the figures obtained from the 2013 census played a pivotal role in guiding planning, policy formulation, programme implementation and monitoring development progress as in line with national development goals.
The 2005 Statistics Act, he said, empowers GBOS to conduct national population and housing census every 10 years, adding that this year's national census is the seventh population and housing census to be conducted in The Gambia since 1963 and the first-ever digital exercise.
At this point, he thanked all stakeholders, especially WB, UNFPA, UNECA and all those who supported the country to conduct this first-ever digital exercise.
Welcoming the gathering, Nyakassi M.B. Sanyang, Statistician General, commended the government for recognising the importance of conducting this massive data collection exercise and has mobilised and reinforced partnerships and resources for the successful implementation of the 2024 national data collection exercise.
The exercise, he said, aims to generate quality data, saying lack of up -to-date information about population and housing always make difficult for policymakers within government and stakeholders to make informed decision about the country's development needs.
The 2024 Gambia Population and House Census, he went on, is a crucial step in planning poverty reduction strategy and economic development for the country.
The Statistician general also reminded that the information collected will help government and development partners and other stakeholders to plan and implement development programmes that will help the need and aspirations of the citizens.
Ndey Rose Sarr, United Nations Population Fund, underscored the importance of the exercise, described the exercise as of significance and something that will shape the future of the country.
The exercise, she added, goes beyond just counting people, but it is about understanding the dynamics of the population, its needs and potentials.
The UNFPA country rep described the 2024 population and housing census as unique in the sense it is the first-ever digital national census.
"The data collected from the census will empower us with the knowledge necessary to plan effectively, allocate resources judiciously and ensure that every individual regardless of circumstances or background is accounted for. It is a fundamental tool for promoting social justice and equality, guaranteeing that all voices are heard and all needs addressed."
Ms Feyi Boroffice, World Bank representative in The Gambia, first congratulated the GBOS team and indeed all the stakeholders for registering a significant milestone in the 2024 population and housing census in The Gambia.
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She said WB is incredibly pleased to note the progress so far, adding that the official launch of the exercise, to be followed by the start of the enumeration phase of the exercise, demonstrates that significant investment by GBOS team and all stakeholders toward a successful exercise.
She underscored the importance of population and housing census in any development exercise, acknowledging that in the absence of well-functioning Civil Registration Systems as in the case across Sub-saharan Africa; population and housing are unique data source providing the geographic distribution of the population at the lowest administrative level and linking it to the existing social and infrastructure such as education, roads and health among a host of others.
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