Stefanus Nashama
The Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) says the release of the main 2023 population and housing census report was never influenced by external sources.
The NSA stated that the report would be released in accordance with the laws governing the release of official statistics.
Alex Shimuafeni, Namibia’s statistician-general, announced this in Windhoek on Tuesday.
The NSA is expected to launch the main report on Wednesday, 30 October.
Shimuafeni said the dissemination of such information is impartial and all stakeholders will receive information at the same time.
“The NSA would like to inform the nation that this dissemination of tomorrow takes place in an impartial manner where all stakeholders will be receiving the information at the same time and thus the NSA is never influenced by external sources in arriving at such decisions but rather follows the law that is in existence,” he said.
The 2023 census preliminary report was released on 13 March 2023.
The release of statistics is guided by the United Nations’ fundamental principles of official statistics, which guide statistical agencies in disseminating the data.
Shimuafeni said the NSA is also guided by Statistics Act No. 9 of 2011, which prescribes statistics to be disseminated impartially to all.
According to Shimuafeni, the NSA data can be verified from its microdata on how the end statistics were compiled to test the non-influence factor.
“Some of the data can also be verified from the national census map that was generated in compiling the total population count,” he said.
The national statistics systems standards for data and statistics dissemination require all statistical reports to be released by either the statistician general, the head of a statistical production institution or their respective representatives.
“To that regard, the NSA has an advanced release calendar available to publicise the release dates of statistical reports in advance,” stated Shimuafeni.
The standards further require all statistical reports to be made available impartially to all users within 24 hours of their official release.
Shimuafeni said the NSA has complied with the laws of dissemination of official statistics ever since its establishment.
