By Kemo Kanyi
The Gambia Bureau of Statistics (GBoS) prepares with a training program for its personnel on pilot census ahead of the Population, and Housing Census (PHC) slated to run in April 2024.
The training program for the personnel was held at the paradise suits hotel in Senegambia on the 6th February, this year. It came as a prelude to the pilot project which will run from 14th February to 7th March 2024.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, NyakasiSanyang, the statistician general said the training would last for 12 days; 10 days in class trainingand the remaining two days will be field interviews. During the training, he said participants would look at: the administration of the census questionnaires, understanding the concepts and definitions, simulation exercisesamong other things.
“As earlier alluded to, we have come a long way, it started with the development of the census project document in which the UNFPA hired two ICT consultants to assess and estimate the ICT requirements for the census,’’ he disclosed. According to him, the resource mobilization started at the time government and partners were still focused on mitigating the impact of covid-19, and as a result, the required resources could not be mobilized to start the census activities on time.
He explained the steps taken and progress made after wards up to commencement of the training. ‘’In June 2022, through the UNFPA support, we were able to acquire the latest GIS package for census mapping called the Official Statistics Modernization Programme.’’
Mr. Sanyang further said that the development of the new system, dashboard, and recruitment platform, the GBoS ICT team worked closely with their counterparts at the National Agency for Statistics and Demography of Senegal.
He revealed to the trainees that all the required systems were developed, configured, deployed, and synchronized. That’s why they gathered to begin the testing of the sustainability of the system before getting into the census enumeration.
For his part, the Minister of Finance and Economics Affairs, Seedy Keita, says the conduct of the pilot census is crucial to the attainment of the successful digital census that Gambia is conducting for the first time.
“Census are the primary source of data on the size and the distribution of the population and its characteristics. The objectives of the census are to count all people in the country and to provide the government with their numbers in every geographical location,” he told the trainees.
He said the figures were required for various aspects of economic and development plans. ‘’The ultimate aim is to provide a better way of life for the people of the Gambia. If the data is adequately collected, it will help the government for evidence base planning,’’ Minister Keita added.
Other speakers included Mr. Lamin Camara, a representative for the UNFPA.