Nykassi MB Sanyang, statistician General of the Gambia Bureau
By Ramatoulie Jawo
Nykassi MB Sanyang, the Statistician General of the Gambia Bureau of Statistics, announced on Thursday that 84% of households nationwide have been enumerated.
Mr. Sanyang shared this update during a press conference at their Kanifing headquarters, providing insights into the progress and current status of the census listing and enumeration.
The press conference allowed GBoS officials to detail the status of data collection, the challenges faced by their enumerators, and the planned next steps.
Field reports indicate that the household listing operation is nearly complete. Of the 366,677 structures mapped during the 2023 mapping exercise, 320,216 structures have been listed, which is 87.3% of the total.
“Despite the late start of the listing exercise due to the complexity of the logistics involved in launching field operations, the data synchronized from the field shows that 84% of households across the country have been enumerated accounting for 80% of the late total population which translate 2,261,724 persons with the current average household size at the national level at,” he said.He further revealed that as of Wednesday, June 12, 2024, enumeration in all regions was above 80%, with Kuntaur, Mansakonko, and Basse reporting nearly 90% household enumeration.
“In Kerewan and Janjanbureh, 84 percent of the population have been enumerated; whereas in Banjul, Kanifing and Brikama, about 83 percent of the population have been enumerated. Enumerators who completed their listing and enumeration have been redeployed to other enumeration areas to ensure the timely completion of the work,” he told journalists.
Mr. Sanyang added that all field workers who signed contracts and were reported to the Project Implementation Unit have been paid or sent to mobile money agents for payment within the past 24 hours. However, he noted ongoing challenges in some areas.
“We have still facing resistance in some cohorts and non-Gambians communities, as reported in the last press conference. We are using all possible diplomatic channels to get them to comply, but if this fails, we will unavoidably use the powers vested in us. I am again taking this opportunity to call on everyone in this country to comply as it is mandatory for all to comply and also to provide accurate information,” he said.
GBoS officials called on all Gambians to exercise patience and cooperate with data collectors and census officers in this critical national duty. They also emphasized the importance of providing accurate information.
The census aims to gather information on population demographics, social and economic characteristics, and household and housing conditions. This data is essential for central and local government planning for services such as education, health, housing, and sanitation.