Tanzania: NBS to Sensitise Citizens on Census

By Hilda Mhagama

THE National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has developed the publicity and advocacy strategy to promote awareness and sensitise Tanzanians to cooperate and participate in the next national population census scheduled for next year.

The strategy has identified various stakeholders to be involved, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and various steering committees at the national, regional, district, and village level.

Speaking during a stakeholders' meeting to discuss the strategy, the 2022 Population and Housing Census Commissioner, Ms Anne Makinda said the strategy aims to sensitise and mobilise Tanzanians at large to support, cooperate and take part in the crucial exercise for the nation.

The meeting was held in Dar es Salaam yesterday ahead of the pilot Population and Housing Census scheduled for later this month. She said for the census exercise to succeed, the entire population has to cooperate and take part and to achieve that NBS developed the strategy to make the public aware of the importance of the census to their daily lives and to the future of the country.

"Special attention should be given to sensitisation and education of the public on the importance of the census not only to the national development programme but also to them individually," she said.

She added, "When an informed public both understands and appreciates the importance of census and data it generates, people will cooperate with enumerators during the entire exercise."

Ms Makinda said they expect the exercise to be more successful as for the first time in the country's census Geographical Information Systems (GIS) technologies demarcate the country into enumeration areas that one enumerator will canvas during data collection.

The next year's census will be the sixth after the Union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar in 1964, with earlier exercises taking place in 1967, 1978, 1988, 2002, and 2012.

Commenting on the differences between previous and next year's census, Communication Expert, Mr Said Ameir said is the allocation of geographical areas of the census at the district and street-level and also having permanent boundaries that will guide enumerators.

He said there are additional questions that will enable access to more statistical information compared to the 2012 census.

Mr Ameir said the new questions include people living with disabilities, geographical mobility under International Organization of Migration (IOM) recommendations, and those with National Identifications, Identity Cards (IDs) for petty traders, passport and driving li-cence.

Others are land tenure, information and Communication Technology (ICT) information, housing statistics that want to show ownership status and type of house, agricultural and livestock issues.

According to him, the strategy focused on addressing the challenges posed in the 2012 census, where some people didn't take part in the exercise as they associated it with politics.

Expounding further, he said some traditions, cultures, and religious beliefs led to many people not taking part in the census, while leaders at various levels did not take part to provide education on the importance of the exercise from the grassroots level.

He assured the community that the data provided in the various studies by the NBS are accurate and comply with international standards.

Some stakeholders advised the NBS to engage influential politicians and religious leaders in the strategy to ensure the community takes part effectively in order to get accurate statistics for national development.