The ManicaPost
Tendai Gukutikwa
Post Correspondent
THE Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat) will conduct a pilot census project next month as part of its final stages of mapping in preparation of the 2022 Population and Housing Census.
The pilot project will run from November 17 to 28, while the National Population and Housing Census, a first of its kind in the country, will be held from April 21 to 30, 2022.
In an interview during a provincial publicity meeting held last week on Friday, ZimStat Director-General, Mr Taguma Mahonde said mapping has been ongoing since November 2019, and will be finalised in January 2022.
“A pilot training of our enumerators will be held during the same month, but earlier, from November 4 to 14. Three days later, they will embark on the pilot census in their allotted areas,” he said.
Mr Mahonde said the 2022 Census was a first of its kind as it would, not only focus on the populace, but on housing characteristics as well as living conditions of the populace.
Previously, national censuses in the country focused on the population only.
“A population and housing census will give the total number of people, and housing types, and their characteristics in a given area. This information will be of great help to Central and Local Governments in planning various educational, health, housing, and other social services.
“Data that include orphan-hood, functioning of the populace, education, labour force, fertility, housing characteristics and living conditions, deaths in the household and international migrations will be included in the pilot project in November to prepare our enumerators for the main census which is slated for next year,” he said.
Mr Mahonde added that ZimStat had digitalised its operations, and as such enumerators will be equipped with tablets.
“Enumerators will be given tablets which they will use to collect and store data. As soon as that data is collected and entered into the tablet, it will be immediately forwarded to the organisation’s servers,” he said.
He said because of this new technology, ZimStat was very confident that within a month, post enumeration surveys will be conducted, and publication of final results would be done on August 20, while final thematic reports would be available in 2023.
He also said the budget for the 2022 National Population and Housing Census which was initially US$85 million, was revised to US$98 due to the Covid-19 pandemic to ensure that enumerators are well protected from the deadly pandemic.
“Unvaccinated officers will also not be part of our enumerators as they will endanger the populace. With all Covid-19 preventative measures put in place, we will execute a successful census,” he said.
Mr Mahonde also advised that the census agenda should be also be included in the provincial development plan as it reflects the aspirations of the people of Manicaland.
Manicaland Provincial Development Coordinator, Mr Edgars Seenza said the housing component in the 2022 National Population and Housing Census was critical as it will help Government in planning authenticated baselines for its people.
