ZIMBABWE requires US$85.5 million to conduct its 2022 national census, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube has announced.
For the first time, the 2022 census will also attempt to estimate the number of Zimbabweans in the Diaspora.
“The cost of the 2022 Population and Housing Census is expected to be covered by the Government of Zimbabwe,” Ncube said during a UNFPA round-table meeting.
“However, it is likely that there will be a shortfall over the lifespan of this project, which is five years.
“Hence the need to mobilise the additional required, for the 2022 Population and Housing Census project with an estimated cost of about $85.5 million.”
The 2022 population census will provide up-to-date data for 24 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), which will allow for continuous monitoring and reporting.
The census will also collect data for indicators from several other national and internationally agreed development frameworks such as the Transitional Stabilisation Programme, the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and the World Summit for Children.
“The Census is a very important part of Zimbabwe’s development agenda. As UNFPA, support for the development of data to inform policy planning and development is critical as ‘Everyone Counts’ – it is my hope that we can all rally behind this process and ensure that the 2022 Census is a success,” said UNFPA Country Representative Esther Muia.
“Our partnership with the government of Zimbabwe began in 1981 with support to the population census in 1982. Since then our partnership has continued over the years with support to census 1982, 1992, 2002 and 2012.”
The 2022 population census will be the fifth since independence in 1980.
The dead count is carried out every 10 years to provide the country with essential data on demographic and related socio-economic characteristics of the population at national and sub-national levels.
The data is used for policy and programme planning.
