Census could spur economic growth

After being deferred twice in the last two years, the population census preparations are now in high gear with the enumeration (counting) kicking off late this month.

The National Population and Housing Census enumeration was put off twice due to lack of funds, leaving quarters that depend on such data disappointed.
Speaking in an interview last week, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics executive director, Mr Ben Paul Mungyereza, said the outcome of the census could trigger development across economic sectors, especially if the information is used to aid production and marketing decisions.

He continued: “Allocation will not happen in vacuum but there will be indicative figures that even government will be using before making a decision.”

Money invested in census
Asked about how much money has been pumped in the census, MR Mungyereza said: “Between the financial year 2008/2009 to 2013/2014 we have used about Shs100 billion.

This financial year we have been given Shs90 billion and in the next financial year we shall get about Shs9 billion. So in total, we shall spend about Shs200billion,” Mr Mungyerza said.

Planners will be among the biggest gainers once the process is rolled out, he says.
“After the exercise, the population figures, poverty levels and the details of any area in Uganda will be available for planners and private sector to refer to.

With comprehensive statistics of all sorts available, private sector should be able to work and produce more efficiently.”

The director development planning at the National Planning Authority, Mr Patrick Birungi, said in an interview last week that his organisation which is charged with planning for this country is nothing without credible statistics.

He said: “The 2014 National Population and Housing Census enumeration is long overdue. We can no longer continue to base our projections on census figures that were done 12 years ago. For over a decade now, we have been quoting the 3.2 growth rate yet we know that some of these things are not static—they move up and down.”

For instance, for one to plan for proper economic development of this country, the rate at which the economy is growing should be known.

“And this can only be answered by census. We don’t want to be in a situation where polices are being overtaken by events even before being implemented,” Birungi said during an interview.

Easing decision making
Mr Fred Muhumuza, an economic analyst, said in an interview with Prosper magazine the data that the census will generate will be crucial for determining informed decisions regarding business and investment.

He said: “Information such as the structure, settlement, and health facilities, among others, will be provided in which credible decisions can be arrived at. This is because in the last 12 years, so many things have happened both socially and economically and it is this exercise that will give an accurate picture of the transformation.”

The Private Sector Foundation (PSFU) director for policy and advocacy, Mr Moses Ogwal, said: “The questions that will be asked have been formulated in such a way that it will bring out the kind of information that the private sector players can use in taking business decisions.”

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