Staff Reporter
Finance and Economic Development Minister and Chairman of the National Census Committee Professor Mthuli Ncube yesterday in a Press Statement announced that the country will conduct its fifth Population and Housing Census from 21 to 30 April 2022.
The Minister said the 2022 Population and Housing Census will be the first digital census in the history of Zimbabwe which will be making use of Computer tablets, during the enumeration process.
The Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) technique will be employed in data collection.
“In preparation for the 2022 Population and Housing Census, Cabinet during its meeting held on 18 May 2021, established the National Census Committee (NCC) which is chaired by Finance and Economic Development.
“In its Inaugural meeting held on 1 July 2021, the committee resolved to adopt the terms of reference which include providing oversight over the 2022 Population and Housing Census project, give policy guidelines at National level, promote and publicise the Census at National level as well as to ensure that all necessary legislative reviews to support the census process are undertaken,” read part of the Statement.
Minister Ncube again revealed consensus with the committee in that Census Field Mapping Exercise should be completed by 21 January 2022, the Pilot Census should be completed by 27 November 2021 and that the Post Enumeration stage should be completed by 31 August 2023.
The Minister promised that the National Census Committee will keep the nation adequately informed on the developments with regard to the 2022 Population and Housing Census.
In spite of preparations for the exercise having been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, the country remains on course to conduct the census within the prescribed timeframe for the 2023 elections.
Zimbabwe conducts a Population Census every ten years and the 2022 survey will be the fifth since the country’s independence from Britain in 1980. The 2022 Census will pave way for Constituency delimitation ahead of the 2023 election.
