The 2010 Census Publicity Technical Committee has declared that all is set for the National Census on Housing and Population which starts this October.
Committees Chairperson Gilbert Maimbo said all the census material, including bicycles and vehicles that would be used for transport during the exercise have already been procured and set in readiness for the census.
He said the master trainers for the census have been trained while enumerators who would be gathering information in the field will be trained starting next week.
Mr. Maimbo who is also Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) Director said this during the recording of ZANIS radio programme called Zambia Today in Lusaka today.
He also explained that ZANIS which had offices in all the nine Provinces was also working hand in hand with the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and other stakeholders to sensitise the public on the importance of the census.
He said the census was an important Government undertaking because it would provide data for the development of the nation.
Mr Maimbo said it is through these statistics that Government will know what type of infrastructure, and social services to provide to the people.
“The data provided from the census will help government plan for the citizenry in education, health and others sectors It is from this that government will the budgetary allocations for the different sectors, know how many schools to build, infrastructure, and many other things which will help meet the needs of its citizens” He said
Meanwhile, Mr Maimbo called on the public to fully cooperate with enumerators to ensure the success of this year’s national census.
He said the committee had received reports on people in some areas, who were fearing to give correct information due to cultural and religious beliefs.
“During the pre-census exercise we had people in certain areas, who refused to give correct information because they feared that once they give correct information say on livestock government might get parts of their livestock’s and give others”
“In some areas people do not comply because they said they were already counted by God, but I must emphasis that the census is important. Biblically Jesus’ parents were counted and many such examples in the bible” he said.
Mr. Maimbo also disclosed that the census committee had also partnered with Journalists from community radio stations who have been trained and helped to sensitise the community on the importance of the census.
Government said it would spend about K226 billion to successfully conduct the 2010 National Population and Housing Census scheduled to kick off in October this year.
This year’s census will be the fifth after the country successfully conducted four other similar exercises in 1969, 1980, 1990, and 2000.
In the first census conducted in 1969 the country’s population was 4.1 million, it was 5.7 million in 1980, 7.7 million in 1990 and the last one being in 2000 when the population was estimated to be at 10 million (9.9 million).
[ ZANIS ]
Good news Director Maimbo.
I tend to believe that most of the past census which we successfuly conducted whwre as a result of our dedicated community based people we have tried to ignore in this year’s exercise. A teacher is an important icon in every community, especially rural comunities, they are held as people with developmental information and any program/project that comes i a community without teacher presence is a failure. Are teachers still present in this years exercise?
In your interview you havent mentioned anything on Supervisors apart from enumerators, are you going include them too?
we wish to see this exercise bear fruits this time than the prevous one where people failed to come up with a proper estimate population.
Long Live Mother Zambia.
TO ALL ENUMERATORS MAKE SURE YOU GET ADVANCES PRIOR TO COMPLETION OF THE CENSORS OR ELSE YOU WILL NEVER BE PAID. ALL GOVERNMENT MONEY WILL CHANELLED TO POLITICAL COMPAINS FOR NEXT ELECTIONS: YOU KNOW YOUR POLITIANS WELL!!!
Corruption has now become normal in Zambia, I applied for a enumerator but did not get any reply to my shock I found my freind whose mother is a branch chairman for MMD in Lusaka being selected. This is the real Africa for sure