Uganda’s first digital census, a commitment to efficiency

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By opting for a digital census, Uganda joins a growing trend across Africa and the world in leveraging modern tools to conduct this critical enumeration.

The UNFPA Uganda Country Representative Gift Malunga, says the digital census underscores Uganda's commitment to efficiency, accuracy, and transparency, ultimately leading to a more robust and reliable census outcome.

She commended Uganda for prioritizing the 2024 National Population and Housing Census.

“This commitment is evident in the impressive track record of funding the majority of previous census undertakings,” she says.

“Notably, the government has pledged to cover a remarkable 91% of the cost for this upcoming census, demonstrating their unwavering dedication to this crucial national exercise.

“This stands in stark contrast to the previous two censuses in 2014 and 2002, where government funding still exceeded 80%. Such consistent and substantial financial support is truly commendable and sets a positive example for other nations,” says Malunga

Malunga commended the bold embrace of technology and innovation.

She says several African nations that recently completed their censuses achieved the impressive feat of releasing preliminary results in less than two months, a feat unimaginable with traditional paper-based methods.

Malunga says the rapid turnaround time underscores the tremendous potential of technology in streamlining the census process and ensuring timely access to crucial data.

Furthermore, many central statistics offices across Africa have diligently invested in building their capacity to leverage technology for national surveys.

Additionally, ongoing efforts to upgrade administrative data systems using cutting-edge technology hold immense promise for significantly enhancing data quality and utility in informing critical planning, policy, and decision-making processes.

Malunga says in today's data-driven world, the demand for reliable and up-to-date information to track progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is paramount.

“The principles of "Leave No One Behind" and "Reach the Furthest Behind" are central to the SDGs,” she says, adding that the census represents a significant step towards achieving these goals by providing disaggregated data down to the lowest enumeration areas.

“It is noteworthy that over 76% of Uganda's population is under the age of 30. To make informed investments in this young demographic, we require accurate and timely information about their demographics, location, and activities,” says Malunga.

“The census provides this vital data, empowering the government to tap into this valuable human capital resource and unlock its potential for national development,” she says.

Maluga says the census data will facilitate the mapping of indicators where progress has been made, but more importantly, it will reveal areas of disparity and inequality.

“This crucial information will be instrumental in guiding targeted interventions and accelerating progress towards fulfilling the Agenda 2030, Agenda 2063 for Africa, Uganda's Vision 2040, and the National Development Plan IV, which the Government of Uganda is embarking upon as we speak,” she says.

The 2024 Uganda National Population and Housing Census represents the 6th Post-Independence National Population and Housing Census (NPHC) in Uganda and the first digital census to be undertaken in Uganda.

Globally, every 10 years, the UN announces a round of censuses, during which each country is expected to conduct a complete enumeration of its population. 

The current 2020 round, which started in 2015 and ends in 2024, is nearing its conclusion. “We are delighted that Uganda will be undertaking its census in May 2024, fulfilling this important obligation,” says Malunga.

She says the population and housing census is one of the most complex and massive undertakings for any country. It requires extensive collaboration among various stakeholders, including the government, development partners, the private sector, and various other organizations.

“This collaboration is crucial to providing the technical and financial resources necessary for a successful census.”

In February this year, over 20 computers and accessories worth sh157 million were handed over to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics ahead of its first digital national population and housing census.

The computers from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) will be used for Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping. GIS is a computer system that analyzes and displays geographically referenced information. 

It uses data that is attached to a unique location with information about what is contained in a location reference and it's appropriate for the analysis of large data sets.

The Executive Director Uganda Bureau of Statistics Dr. Chris Mukiza says that with the paper questionaries in the past census, it would take approximately three years to disseminate all reports.

“However, this time after two months we shall give provisional results.”

He says a census gives comprehensive data up to the smallest level. “Once undertaken so well we shall understand the demographic, social, and economic characteristics of the population and also their housing condition (how the people live),” he specified.

“We are going to make sure everybody is involved and counted, the slogan for this census is: “It matters to be counted,’” says Mukiza.