The Liberia Institution of Statistics and Geo-information Service (LISGIS) has termed completely false, untrue, and misleading information circulating about the postponement of the 2022 National Housing and Population Census (NPHC), saying over 90% of the process leading to the conduct of the 2022 National Population and Housing Census (NPHC) is completed and it is expected to be conducted in October of this year.
Mr. Wilmot F. Smith, Deputy Director-General for Information and Coordination at LISGIS said the institution has presently received twenty-one thousand tablets and power banks from the Ghana Statistic Service (GSS) for the conduct of the main enumeration phase of the 2022 National Population and Housing Census.
Liberia has currently conducted four National Housing and Population Census across the country namely the 1962 population census was 1.1 million, in the 1974 census Liberia’s population was 1.5 million, in 1984, the population was 2.1 million and in 2008, the population was 3.5 million inhabitants respectively.
However, Liberia is expected to conduct its fifth census and the full digital census to be conducted since independence.
Speaking at a news conference Wednesday, May 18, 2022, at LISGIS national headquarters in Monrovia, Mr. Smith disclosed that LISGIS is currently preparing the tablets for the data collection and the preparation activities include installation of maps and Geo-codes and other important software (CSPro).
“We also like to state that the rumors circulating about the postponement of the census are completely untrue and we encourage the public to welcome LISGIS field staff in their respective homes during the enumeration phase in October 2022. Our field staff will be identified by their census jackets and identification cards (ID Cards)” LISGIS Deputy Director-General Smith further said.
Following the press conference, Mr. Smith with his team and newsmen toured the storage facility of LISGIS hosting the equipment for the conduct of the National census. The phone and power banks are still sealed inboxes.
Continuing, he said the Government of Liberia through the Liberia Institute of Statistic and Geo-information Service (LISGIS) transferred US$3 million to the census fund hosted by UNFPA to complete the Government contribution for the conduct of the census.
Mr. Smith narrated that the Government of Liberia has contributed more money to the census basket fund than earlier promised, adding that LISGIS is currently working with the National Legislature to derive a joint resolution that empowers the Executive Branch of government to issue a proclamation announcing a final date to conduct the main count respectively.
“It is important to emphasize that in consonance with the government of Liberia short-term employment scheme, LISGIS has received from the public a little over 19, 000 applications which will be vetted and incorporated to provide their service to the census process.”
The LISGIS Deputy boss pointed out that the institution will reopen the application platform to the public for at least two weeks in June for additional applications, mentioning that the mapping process which is referred to as “structure making” ended on February 28, 2022, with a total of 19, 226 enumeration areas (EAs).
He added that the GIS Technician and consultant are currently conducting a data clean-up exercise with the expectation of producing 14, 500 enumeration areas after the current clean-up exercise.
Prior to the completion of the mapping process, a pre-test was carried out in December 2021 using a sample size of 238 enumeration areas. The reason for conducting the pre-test was to test the questionnaires, gargets, and all materials and tools which will be used for the main census. However, the result from the pre-test has been concluded and analyzed.
Reported by: Stephen G. Fellajuah
WhatsApp: +231777015294
Email: fellajuahstepheng@gmail.com
