Malawi first ever 2018 electronic census starts September – NSO
National Statistical Office (NSO) will hold the much awaited first ever 2018 Electronic National Population and Housing Census (PHC) in September estimated to cost K21 billion.
Commissioner of Statistics, Mercy Kanyuka said the 2018 PHC will be different from previous exercises because enumerators will use tablets for data collecting to improve data processing.
The census which has been long overdue is expected to help Malawi come up with the nation’s current projected population and poverty indictors, among other things.
According to NSO, the census will be funded by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
Statistician and Public Relations Officer (PRO) Kingsley Manda said they already conducted census mapping exercises with the demarcation of new Traditional Authorities (T/As) and other areas.
“With support from development partners like UNFPA, we have demarcated all new T/A boundaries and updated new and existing areas to collect data easily. Moreover, consultants have been hired and are still on the ground up to July for the exercise,” he said.
According to Manda, this PHC will provide opportunities to many Malawians in as far as employment issues are concerned.
He also said that the procedure remains the same only that previously, enumerators were using paper questionnaires while this time around they will use tablets.
“Through this Census, 30, 000 enumerators are expected to be employed across the country to collect data using Computer Assisted Personal Interviews (CAPI) where enumerators will be provided with tablets to fasten information flow unlike the previous census where they were using paper questionnaires,” said Manda.
Among other things, the PHC will also collect data on household characteristics, safe drinking water and household assets which help to come up with poverty indicators.
Malawi conducts a Population and Housing Census every 10 years.
NSO was established in 1963 and is mandated by the Statistics Act to collect, analyse, publish and disseminate official statistics for evidence-based policy formulation, decision-making and monitoring and evaluation of development programmes.
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