Luanda - The country is once again carrying out the General Census of Population and Housing, this time with the introduction of the digital mode, ten years after the first more comprehensive and complex statistical exercise recorded in the post-independence period.
By Valentim de Carvalho
The previous census, which took place from 16 to 31 May 2014, found the existence of 25 million 789 thousand and 24 inhabitants in the country.
Like the event 10 years ago, the 2024 General Census is an essential process for Angolan society, as it will provide specific and up-to-dated indicators essential for the definition of public policies and decision-making.
Despite the possibility of collecting information by tablets with an appropriate data collection application, the task seems quite arduous, judging by the demographic and housing movement that has occurred in this time interval, at the national level, hence the need for greater rigor, commitment and seriousness from all those involved during the 30 days in which the process will take place, which is scheduled to start on the 19th of this month.
In this action, there is the challenge, on a large scale, of achieving and ensuring quality structural statistical information, which aggregates the main demographic, housing and social characteristics most up-to-date in the last decade.
To achieve the effective collection of data, the preparation of the event carefully followed other essential phases, namely, the cartographic update and the pilot census, aiming to ensure compliance with the principles and rigor that is required to carry out events of this magnitude, and the success of its execution 'requires', naturally, the alignment of the different living forces of the nation with regard to the mobilization and awareness of the population.
It is, however, unanimous that the data to be provided to the census agents, in this difficult but not impossible mission, are faithful and real, in order to allow society to know and understand how many inhabitants the country has, where they are located and how they live, which will certainly help in updating the Executive's database, in the planning, execution and management of tasks in the most varied areas.
Taking place under the motto 'Together we count for Angola', the Census is organized by the Angolan Government, through the National Institute of Statistics (INE).
The process involves 79,423 field agents, divided into 67,131 enumerators and 12,92 supervisors, who will ensure the work throughout the national territory, and the formal launch act should take place next Wednesday (18th), at the INE facilities, where the 'Operational Command Post' will be.
Among other activities, the plan includes the workshop for the official opening of the survey, cultural attraction and the census of special cases such as the homeless, which should be done from midnight on the 19th, reserving for hours later the collection of information from families to fill out the census questionnaire.
The battle, which is expected to be unbridled and tireless, will take the enumerators towards the four points (North, South, East and West) from urban areas to the most remote rural areas in Angola.
The Census is a United Nations recommendation that takes place over a period of ten years, with a view to cataloguing the dynamics of the population of countries and facilitating assertive decision-making in the public policies of Governments.
The 2024 General Population and Housing Census was scheduled to start on August 19, having been postponed to September for logistical reasons.
The story goes that a census was carried out in the country before national independence, in 1970. VC/ADR/DOJ
