08 Feb 2022

In line with the Reset Agenda,  Botswana will next month conduct its population and housing census digitally, Minister of Finance and Economic Development Ms Peggy Serame has revealed.

Speaking during the census launch  in Gaborone yesterday, Ms Serame said unlike the previous population censuses, this year’s exercise would embrace the 4th Industrial Revolution by utilising digital technological applications.

The aim was  to enhance work and data quality as well as to speed up production and dissemination of results, she said.

Minister Serame said the census results would influence government policies and development adding that it was also critical for the 10 yearly delimitation process.

“Therefore I urge the public to participate and cooperate in this important national exercise as it will inform and enable the country’s policy makers, planners, researchers and decision makers to make informed decisions for the good of our country,” she said.

For his part, statistician general, Dr Burton Mguni said preparations for the census began three years prior to the original planned census month of August 2021 with a cartographic exercise from March 2019 to April 2021.

With the primary objective of identifying dwelling units, mapping them and delineating enumeration areas, the cartographic exercise was the core of the census, explained the Statistics Botswana boss.

Dr Mguni said to ensure that data collected through the census was relevant and fit for purpose, a rigorous consultative process with a broad range of stakeholders at both district and national level was carried out.

Stakeholders from all sectors of the economy as well as the private sector and civil society participated in the process, he said.

“It is important to note that by virtue of the census being a large scale national exercise, it accommodates the needs of all sectors of the economy,” said Dr Mguni.

He explained that census topics were used to guide questionnaire development and that national, regional and international development agendas provided a basis for inclusion of new topics or expansion of already identified ones.

The census, he said,  collected information on a wide range of topics and would provide baseline data with limited in-depth inquiry.

Dr Mguni said the census was the first that Statistics Botswana was undertaking as a body corporate and also the first to utilise digital technological applications for the enhancement of data quality whilst significantly speeding up production and dissemination of results.

On other issues, Dr Mguni said 8 431 temporary staff had been engaged for the duration of the census scheduled for March 18-31.

The temps included 6 774 enumerators, 1 505 supervisors and 152 drivers, he said.BOPA