Luanda - The data to be collected during the General Population and Housing Census “2024 Census”, which begins on the 19th of this month, will serve as a starting point for projecting the country's future, economist Daniel Sapateiro said on Monday in Luanda.
Speaking to ANGOP, regarding the process, the expert said that the Census will also allow the next general State budgets and public and private programs to adapt to the reality of the Angolan population, knowing the birth rate, the number of inhabitants, way of life, employment, unemployment, as well as the identification of the places they live.
“If Angola knew how to make the most of the Census results, knowing exactly where the money or investment should have been channeled, the country could quickly develop agricultural production and the industrial sector, for example, a fact that will allow it to compete with the markets neighboring countries and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region", he highlighted.
Among other advantages, Daniel Sapateiro said that the population census also helps to improve the distribution of drinking water to families and prevent society from various diseases, especially malaria, which is the main cause of death in Angola.
However, the economist argues that the preliminary and definitive results should be published within six months and one year, respectively, after the 30-day census period.
With this, citizens and opinion makers will have available, in a short period of time, statistical information that can be used to prepare studies and outline strategies to improve the living conditions of populations.
He said he hopes that the data will be useful for the preparation of internal statistics, to be made by Angolans themselves using the country's data, no longer resorting to studies from international institutions to prepare national reports or statistics.
On the other hand, the possible existence of some people with doubts or who refuse to provide reliable data to census takers was pointed out as one of the main factors that could hinder the process.
Therefore, the expert appeals to citizens to welcome the census takers and be honest when answering the questionnaire, so that public policies are made based on the reality of Angolans.
Under the motto "Together we count for Angola", the 2024 Census was anticipated by the process of updating the Angolan cartographic network and by the pilot census, carried out in seven of the country's 18 provinces.
The general census comes ten years after Angola carried out the 2014 Census, which took place from the 16th to the 31st of May.
At the time, the Angolan population was estimated at 25,789 inhabitants, of which 6,945 lived in Luanda, being the most populous province in Angola.
Of the 2014 census, more than 12 million, of which 41 were men and around 13,289 were women.
The General Population and Housing Census aims to provide a database for planning, management and decision-making, as well as building a sampling base for the selection of survey samples from households.
The objectives also include understanding the population structure for all administrative units in the country, strengthening the technical and material capacity to conduct future data collection.
The data indicates that the first attempt to record population data in Angola took place on May 21, 1770, which made it possible to obtain an estimate of the population categorized by age, sex, birth and death.
Later, in the 20th century, there was a population census in 1970, which revealed the existence of approximately 5.6 million people. QCB/BV/MRA/DOJ
