The Ministry of Finance and Corporate Governance’s Statistics Division is currently gearing up to conduct the Mapping and Listing Exercise, which is an integral part of the pre-enumeration activities for the upcoming 2024 Census.

The Division has reported that preparations are well underway for the Population and Housing Census, which is set to take place later this year.

Implementation of a census involves three stages; the pre-enumeration stage, which is currently underway and forms the foundation for the Census Office’s work, followed by the data collection stage known as enumeration, which is the most critical component of the census.

The final stage is the post-enumeration phase, where collected data is verified, analyzed, and used to produce statistics, reports, and other outputs.

The pre-enumeration exercise will enable census workers to locate houses, businesses, and other buildings with ease and efficiency.

Moreover, it will help to determine the accuracy of the maps used for the enumeration districts’ geographic and housing characteristics. These maps will play a crucial role in the actual census enumeration later this year.

The Census Office, which is responsible for implementing the census, will engage at least ten field officers to assist with the exercise.

These officers have undergone theoretical and practical training in preparation for the actual exercise, which will commence on January 26, 2024.

Field officers will be issued official picture IDs and will wear T-shirts with the Division’s logo on the front and “Census Mapping Exercise” on the back while in the field. The exercise is expected to conclude on March 31, 2024.

The Statistics Division encourages the public to fully cooperate with the field officers when they visit their homes or business places.