Census Data Dissemination in Africa : Promoting Accountability in ‘Counting People’

Census Data Dissemination in Africa:

Promoting Accountability in ‘Counting People’

By Richmond Tiemoko, PhD

Technical Advisor UNFPA Africa Regional Office

United Nations Regional Seminar on Census Data Dissemination and Spatial Analysis, Nairobi, 4-17 September 2010.

OUTLINE

• UNFPA Strategy for 2010 round of Censuses

• Situation Analysis

• UNFPA’s Perspective

• “Everyone counts” : the theme for 2010 World Population Day

• “A census is not complete until the information collected is made available to potential users in a form suited to their needs” (P&R PHC Revision2: 94)

Overview of Census Taking in Africa• Increasing number of countries conducting PHC : while an

estimated 50% of African population were covered in the 2000 round of PHC, all the countries in the region are have indicated their willingness to conduct the 2010 round of PHC.

• How to ensure that 2010 round of Censuses really make counting people relevant?

Experience of Census Taking in the Region

• About a third of countries have been respecting the decennial round of censuses

• Some countries have not had PHC for over two decades.• Some countries have no detailed census results for more that 15

years.• However the 2010 round of PHCs looks promising (e.g. Nigeria,

Chad, Liberia, DRC): Some countries have successfully conducted their first enumeration in 20 years.

• In Africa, UNFPA is helping to analyze data collected by recent censuses: e.g. in Malawi, Mozambique, Chad, Liberia and Nigeria. Most of these countries could not complete their censuses in 2000 and Liberia’s successful census ended a period of more than 30 years in which no statistical work could be done.

National Financial Commitment to the cost 2000 Round of Censuses (estimate)

Experience and Lessons• In absolute term, the cost of a complete PHC is high especially

in the financial and economic context of Africa. • National and development partners’ resources involved• Incomplete census, unavailable and/or inaccessible quality

data as major challenge to development planning and monitoring.

• Need for accountability and pro-poor, pro-development approach in the conduct of census.

• Dissemination of Census data is critical

Census Data Dissemination: UNFPA ARO Approach.

• Strategy and guidelines

• Capacity strengthening

• Strategic Partnership

• Fostering South-south collaboration and knowledge sharing

• Supporting Innovative approach (Madagascar)

UNFPA Strategy and Guidelines

• Development of a comprehensive strategy at ARO level

• Guidelines and advocacy for the completion of PHC within 24 months of enumeration

• Technical Assistance• Advocacy

Capacity Strengthening

• Census Data dissemination is an integral part of census taking requiring planning, resources and expertise.

• Quality products and targeted channels of dissemination are important

• REDATAM Based IMIS (cf. Boubacar Sow’s presentation)

Strategic Partnership

• Partnership is crucial • Targeted and segmented partnership

– Continent wide political network and RECs – • AUC• FAAPPD

– With Network of producers of data • ASSD and Statistics SA

– Network of Research communities• Union for Africa Population Studies

– UN agencies and other donors• Common Fund for data collection activities within the National Statistical

System (e.g. Mozambique)

South-South Cooperation and Knowledge Sharing• One of the roles of UNFPA is to foster SSC in the production

and dissemination and utilization of population data. • Countries are at various levels of expertise in the successful

conduct of PHC . • Organize and facilitate cross-fertilization and knowledge

sharing with the region and between regions) – e.g: -Knowledge sharing meeting; – China visit to SA

• Fund wide Community of practice (poddev)

Supporting Innovative Approach

• Maximizing Census output and product: Dissemination of technical and non traditional products

• eg. Madagascar

Conclusion

• Everyone counts

• Census data dissemination is not just a technical issue it is

also a question of accountability, governance and moreover a

development imperative.

• Disseminating high quality census data and fostering data

utilization is indeed accounting for counting people .

• THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION