The 14th national census in Dominica comes up on June 25, 2022. The Central Statistics Office said the housing and population census is aimed at getting everyone in the country counted to improve service delivery under the theme “Get Counted”.
Census officer and Acting Chief Statistician, Lorna Prevost Stephens, said the first census to be conducted in Dominica was in 1871 and the government has been carrying out the exercise every 10 years for 150 years. She said the exercise was planned for 2021, but the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic prevented it, hence 2022.
Stephens said Population and Housing Census programme is beneficial for equitable service delivery to the people at all levels. She emphasized the anonymous data collected from each household during the exercise is critical to social and economic planning. She added that the exercise helps the government to address poverty, housing, resource distribution, and budgeting among others.
The Acting Chief Statistician also said the census programme empowers the government to achieve its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as the 2030 Agenda with ease.
Many times, persons ask, must I participate? Does it matter whether I participate or not? The answer is yes, it matters that you get counted. Statistical data is important for planning and budgeting. How can you address poverty without statistics? How can you address unemployment without statistics? How can you address housing and infrastructure problems without statistics? How can you accurately mitigate the impacts of natural disasters without statistics? If we cannot measure precisely, then we will not be able to manage the fair distribution of resources and delivery of service.
Lorna Prevost Stephens, Acting Chief Statistician
The Census Officer said the government will be embarking on a mobilization campaign aimed at sensitizing all Dominicans to the importance of the exercise in the next few weeks. He said everyone must get counted and that inclusion is important to both the government and to all citizens. She urged everyone to make themselves available before and after June 25 to partake in the exercise.
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