By Ramatoulie Jawo
The Gambia Bureau of Statistics (GBoS) held its weekly media briefing on Tuesday to provide an update on the 2024 population and housing census. This briefing aims to keep the public informed about the progress, challenges, and future steps of the enumeration process.
The Statistician General of GBoS, Mr. Nyakassi MB Sanyang, announced significant progress in the census. Evidence from the Geographic Information System (GIS) indicates that 99% of structures in the country have been listed. He noted, however, that the team is working to determine if the unlisted structures are due to syncing issues with some devices or data transmission problems.
“Regarding the status of the listing exercise, evidence from the Geographic Information System (GIS)/cartography and the synchronized data show that 99% of structures in the country have been listed. However, the census officials are working with the regional census officers to determine if the unaccounted structures are a result of some devices experiencing syncing issues or sending data to the server,” he said.
Mr. Sanyang emphasized the importance of the 99% listing coverage rate, acknowledging that achieving 100% coverage is exceptionally challenging.
Mr. Sanyang revealed that significant progress has been registered since their last update. As of Monday, July 1, 2024, data from the field shows that approximately 98% of households, representing 96% of the total population (about 2,528,456 individuals), have been enumerated. He also detailed the payment process for census officers, stating that the remaining 70% of their payment will be issued once regional census officers clear the data and return the tablets.
“The project implementation unit of GBoS will pay the remaining 70% to the workers as soon as they are cleared by the regional census officers, i.e. data is vetted and tablets returned,” he highlighted.
Mr. Sanyang addressed technical issues, noting that some devices are experiencing syncing problems. However, data monitors, CAPI technicians, and IT experts are collaborating with regional census officials to resolve these issues.
He highlighted ongoing resistance from some community members and non-Gambians, urging cooperation.
“Also, as reported in the last press statement, we are still experiencing resistance from certain cohorts of our communities and non-Gambians,” he told the journalist.
He also announced that the official enumeration period has ended, and the Bureau is now in the mopping-up phase, encouraging any unenumerated households to call 1242 to participate. Mr. Sanyang reminded the public that responding to the census is a legal obligation.
“The Bureau is pleased to announce that the official date for the enumeration exercise has expired, and it’s currently on the mopping exercise. All households not covered are kindly urged to call 1242 and get enumerated. The public is once again reminded that getting enumerated or responding to the census questions is a legal obligation,” he said.
The census aims to gather crucial information on population demographics, social and economic characteristics, and household and housing characteristics. This data is vital for central and local government planning in areas such as education, health, housing, and sanitation.