Stefanus Nashama
Alex Shimuafeni, the Statistician-General of the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA), said that addressing payment delays, primarily due to verification processes, was a significant concern during the enumeration and post-enumeration survey periods.
Apart from other challenges faced during these two critical phases, Shimuafeni shared these insights at a media conference held yesterday in Windhoek, providing an update on the 2023 population and housing census and the post-enumeration survey.
“Fieldworkers faced compensation issues, and advocates, along with key stakeholders, worked tirelessly to resolve them,” Shimuafeni stated.
To expedite the verification process and maintain accuracy, the NSA recruited additional temporary staff. This effort ensured that payments matched the work carried out during the census enumeration.
“Despite the lengthy verification process, we ensured that all payments corresponded to the actual goods and services provided,” Shimuafeni said.
He noted that the NSA had successfully settled all dues to enumerators and vehicle owners with utmost diligence.
Shimuafeni revealed that enumerators faced numerous challenges in the field, including difficulties in accessing farms and other properties due to locked gates, resistance from the public, and unavailability of household members.
He commended the enumerators and supporting staff for resolving such issues efficiently.
Shimuafeni announced an upcoming ‘matching phase’—an office-based exercise—to compare the census and post-enumeration survey results.
He indicated that this phase is scheduled to run from 11 December this year to 19 January next year and it aims to ensure data consistency.
“Should discrepancies arise, NSA officials will revisit the concerned households to verify the actual match status,” he explained, adding that this ‘reconciliation phase’ is set for 1-14 February next year.
Deputy Statistician-General Otillie Mwazi added that during the reconciliation phase, households would be contacted both in person and electronically. The public will be informed about the exact release month of the final results in due course.
