National Statistics Office calls on Malawi citizens to embrace census

The National Statistics Office (NSO) has asked the general public not to miss out in the forthcoming 2018 Population and Housing Census as it is the right to be counted.

Commissioner of Statistics at NSO Mercy Kanyuka made the call Friday in Lilongwe on the sidelines of handover ceremony of equipment for the census from China to Malawi.

“Census is a very important exercise and it targets everyone, from the newly born to the oldest members of society. So, everyone is obliged to take part,” Kanyuka said.

She stressed that this exercise is critical for Malawi because it helps in informing and guiding policy as well as developmental agendas in general.

“This is more than just knowing how many we are in this country. For example, Ministry of Health uses this information to plan on how many children need immunization in a particular area and they send support accordingly.

“Similarly, the Ministry of Education uses this information to map out areas in need of more schools and so on. These are just a few examples of how the census helps in a country” Kanyuka said.

The commissioner further called for intensive sensitizations about the exercise so that the populace appreciates its significance and that enumerators should not face resistance during the exercise.

She added that NSO is already done its part in taking messages to the people.

“Currently, we are running jingles in most radio stations to ensure that the general public is aware and well prepared” Kanyuka said.

According to United Nations estimates, Malawi currently has close to 19. 2 million people which translates to a population density of 203 people per km.

With a population density of 2.91 percent, the country’s population is growing rapidly at 3 percent with a projection of hitting 45million by 2050.

 

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