AWARENESS CRUCIAL AHEAD OF THE 2022 NATIONAL CENSUS
It is almost a year to go to August 28, 2022 when Tanzania’s National Population and Housing Census will be held: the sixth in the ten-year series beginning in 1967.
While the 2012 census pegged the country’s population at 44.9 million, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) projects that this number would have grown to 64 million people by the August 2022 census.
In our report in yesterday’s edition, we noted that the Bureau met with assorted stakeholders in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday “to discuss strategies on educating and otherwise creating awareness among the general public” regarding the 2022 census, which will be conducted using digital technology.
Attending the forum were representatives from relevant government and non-government organisations in both parts of the United Republic (Zanzibar and Mainland Tanzania), as well as from some mass media houses.
As the director of Social Statistics and Demographics at the Office of the Chief Government Statistician in Zanzibar, Ms Hadija Hamadi, said about the August 2022 census: the goal is to ensure that the citizens are well educated on the census – and fully participate in the exercise.
We also agree with the 2022 Census Commissar, former Speaker of the National Assembly Anne Makinda, that stakeholders who are properly educated on digital census matters are crucial to success of the exercise.
This is basically because “(NBS) needs to collect important information – and this needs full participation of the general public.”
Indeed, for the 2022 Census to succeed – and, therefore, be of benefit to all-inclusive, sustainable socioeconomic development – it is crucial that the planners leave no stone unturned in planning the census.
This is especially in terms of financing, education, staffing and general strategic facilitation, starting with the pilot census to be conducted in August this year.
WHY ZAMBIA POLLS MATTER
Zambians voted yesterday in the country’s general election, and Tanzanians should be hoping that peace and stability would be maintained in the southern African nation whatever the outcome of the polls.
There are a number of reasons why elections in Zambia, despite being an internal affair, are usually watched closely from Tanzania. It should be noted that landlocked Zambia is closely linked with Dar es Salaam Port, which handles a sizeable amount of the country’s imports and exports. This means that a stable Zambia can only be good for the port, which is a key source of government revenue.
In addition, a section of Tanzania’s transport industry depends almost entirely on the business of ferrying goods to and from Zambia. There are also thousands of Tanzanians involved in cross-border trade that has sustained livelihoods in both countries for many years.
Apart from being neighbours, Tanzania and Zambia are also members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), which means that there are many common interests pursued by the two countries.
It is our hope that the elections in Zambia will pass off peacefully since this is in the best interest of the country and the region at large.
