Census postponement draws mixed views

Constitutional law expert Professor Nico Horn says government is justified to hold a census at a time it deems fit, despite the usual 10-year time frames.

The Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) said it would need approximately N$1 billion to execute the planned population census this year. The agency has, however, delayed the census after failing to secure the requisite funding.

The census was last conducted in 2011.

“The NSA has advised and motivated for the holding of the 2021 population and housing census as it is crucial for development planning and monitoring, [but] the census is not being held this year due to lack of funds,” NSA spokesperson Iipumbu Sakaria said.

Horn added that there is no legal justification for government to hold it every decade.

“One can possibly reason that population censuses every 10 years makes good sense in the light of a changing world. “However, as the law reads now, the time of censuses is fully in the hands of government,” he said.

Critical statistics

Meanwhile, NSA board chairperson Salomo Hei remains adamant that conducting a census is critical to help shape development policies.

“Statistics are increasingly shaping our decisions, interactions and progress. Good and timely statistics enable us to make better, more informed choices about the things that matter most in our society, economy and livelihoods.

“It is critical that all Namibians have access to statistics they can trust,” he said.